LIFE    OF 

REV.  JAMES  RICHARDSON, 

A  BISHOP  OF  THE 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 
IN  CANADA, 

BY  THOMAS  flVEBSTER,  D.D.; 

Author  of  "  HISTORY  OF  M.  E.  CHURCH  IN  CANADA,"  "  WOMAN  MAN'S  EQUAL,"  etc.  f 

WITH 

INTRODUCTION 

BY  REV.   BISHOP  CARMAN,  D.D. 


1  The  fruit  of  the  righteous  is  a  tree  of  life  :  and  he  that  winneth  souls  is  vise. 


TORONTO : 
J.  B.  MAGURN,  PUBLISHER, 

36  KING  STREET  EAST. 
1876. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Parliament  of  Canada,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight 

hundred  and  seventy-six,  by  J.  B.  MAGURX,  in  the  office  of  the  Minister  of 

Agriculture. 


CONTENTS. 


PAQK 
Introduction i  to  xxviii 

CHAPTER  I. 
Birth — Parentage — Incidents 17 

CHAPTER  II. 
Enters  the  Service  of  the  Provincial  Marine ...... 38 

CHAPTER  III. 
His  Marriage — Retirement  from  the  Service — Called  to  preach. .      67 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Enters  the  Itinerancy 97 

CHAPTER  V. 
The  Conference  of  1828 119 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Removal  to  State  of  New  York,  and  return  to  Canada 156 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Elected  to  the  Episcopal  office  in  1858 179 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Albert  College — Journey  to  Europe 192 

CHAPTER  IX. 

General  Conference  of  1874 — Election  and  ordination  of  Bishop 

Carman — Last  illness 208 

CHAPTER  X. 
The  Funeral — Memorial  Services 225 

423 


INTRODUCTION 

TO    DR.    WEBSTER'S    LIFE    OF 

BISHOP  RICHARDSON; 

BY 

BISHOP    CARMAN. 


When  one,  that  leaves  any  impress  on  society  at  all,  has 
died,  we  know  him  better  than  while  he  was  living.  We 
view  his  actions  and  judge  his  motives  with  less  bias  :  we 
set  a  fairer  estimate  upon  his  character ;  and  with  a  calmer 
eye,  in  a  clearer  light,  we  perceive  the  ruling  principles  of 
his  conduct  and  the  results  of  his  labors.  If  the  will  and 
the  way  have  been  evil,  the  general  tendency  of  our  nature 
—bad  as  it  is  sometimes  said  to  be — is  not  to  set  down 
aught  in  malice,  but  to  search  out  an  excuse.  And  if  they 
have  been  right,  it  is  a  pleasure  to  the  mind  to  recall  them, 
and  a  strength  to  virtue  and  a  joy  to  the  heart  to  hold  them 
in  remembrance. 

Because  these  things  are  so,  the  review  of  the  life  of  a 
good  man  can  never  cease  to  be  both  a  benefit  and  a 
pleasure.  Imperfections  he  may  have  ;  errors  he  may  have 
committed ;  but  the  very  grandeur  of  a  man  is  to  struggle 


11  INTRODUCTION. 

above  imperfections,  and,  in  moral  worth,  to  shine  out 
beyond  errors,  so  that  his  excellence  is  acknowledged,  and 
his  life  on  the  earth  beams  with  a  perpetual  lustre.  The 
steady  course  of  the  upright  man  compels  admiration. 
Kindness  in  the  heart  and  purity  in  the  life  levy  a  tribute 
of  respect  and  love  on  all  the  generations  of  men.  Our 
moral  instincts  are  the  grandest  safeguard  of  the  race,  and 
the  hope  of  religion  and  truth ;  to  them  we  must  ever 
appeal.  Since  the  human  heart  is  what  it  is,  and  the 
incentives  to  virtue  and  to  vice  are  what  they  are,  human 
life  is  that  one  profound  problem,  that  one  solemn  and 
tremendous  conflict,  from  which  not  one  of  us  stands  aside 
a  curious  student  or  an  uninterested  spectator,  but  in  whose 
issues  our  best  possessions  and  our  highest  happiness  are 
most  deeply  involved.  Wherefore  every  man  that  casts  the 
force  of  his  convictions,  the  energy  of  his  soul  and  the 
weight  of  his  character  on  the  side  of  the  good  and  the  true, 
while  he  serves  his  God  in  his  generation,  confers  an  inesti- 
mable blessing  on  his  species.  He  demonstrates  that,  with 
all  our  weaknesses  and  disadvantages,  a  purer  life  is  possible 
to  all  men  ;  and  to  all  that  choose  it,  it  is  the  safest  pathway 
to  honor  and  felicity. 

In  presenting  the  life  and  character  of  JAMES  RICHARDSON 
to  the  public  view,  Dr.  Webster  is  certainly  furnishing  such 
an  encouragement  and  support  to  religion  and  virtue.  And 
not  only  to  virtue  as  taught  in  the  schools,  as  exemplified 
and  praised  in  heathen  philosophy,  but  to  religion  as  given 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures, — the  power  of  God  that  cometh  down 
from  Heaven  and  worketh  wondrously  in  the  hearts  of  men. 
To  JAMES  RICHARDSON  religion  was  not  merely  a  negative 


INTRODUCTION.  HI 

condition,  a  neutral  ground ;  it  was  a  positive,  vigorous  life. 
It  was  its  province  to  assimilate  all  the  elements  of  our 
manhood  to  its  nature,  and  to  mould  the  entire  being.  To 
him  religion  meant  Christianity.  It  was  not  Naturalism,  but 
Supernaturalism.  It  was  not  a  decent  Deism  or  an  orderly 
Rationalism  laying -a  sickly  hand  on  the  arm  of  man,  the 
pilgrim  and  warrior,  and  speaking  to  him  in  a  faint  whisper 
of  duty  and  destiny.  It  was  an  energy  in  the  heart,  co- 
operating with  the  Reason,  and  refining  and  directing  the 
Affections  ;  it  was  a  force  in  society,  forming  the  institutions, 
elevating  the  conceptions,  inspiring  the  aims,  and  controlling 
the  conduct  of  men.  It  laid  a  firm  grasp  upon  evil,  to  check- 
it  and  cast  it  out ;  it  sustained  and  protected  the  right  with 
an  omnipotent  arm  ;  and  it  spake  in  plain  words,  with  strong 
voice  and  unfaltering  accents,  of  the  relations  and  engage- 
ments of  this  life,  and  the  prospects  and  claims  of  the  life  to 
come. 

When  a  man  with  penetrating  mind,  extensive  information 
and  sound  judgment  gives  in  the  adhesion,  the  devotion  of 
a  life  to  a  system  like  Christianity,  he  manifests  his  maturest 
opinions  as  to  its  pretensions,  and  declares  his  soberest 
convictions  as  to  its  adaptations  and  merits.  But  when 
going  farther,  he  accepts  it  as  the  one  Divine  provision  for 
the  wants  of  man,  the  remedy  given  by  the  Author  of  our 
being  for  all  our  woes,  he  binds  it  to  his  spirit  and  his 
immortality  with  his  reason,  and  seals  it  with  his  faith  and 
hope.  But  when  going  even  farther  yet,  he  is  so  impressed 
with  its  importance,  and  so  persuaded  of  its  power  in  all 
generations  of  men  and  in  all  climes  of  earth,  that  he  feels 
impelled  to  proclaim  it  to  the  universal  brotherhood  as  the 


JV  INTRODUCTION. 

will  of  God  and  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation,  he  rises  into 
the  sublimer  sphere  of  philanthropic  thought  and  action, 
and  pours  forth  his  soul  under  the  throbbings  of  noblest 
impulse  and  in  the  currents  of  purest  love.  With  such  a 
man  our  author  has  to  do,  in  this  interesting  narrative.  The 
subject  of  it  did  not  live  with  the  expectation  of  having  a 
book  written  to  preserve  his  name  and  commemorate  his 
deeds.  He  lived  to  serve  his  God,  his  country,  the  Church, 
the  truth.  He  had  no  pfan  to  make  or  spread  a  fame.  He 
.simply  did  his  duty  as  he  understood  it.  And  from  his 
powers  of  mind  and  his  acquaintance  with  men  and  things, 
it  was  his  privilege  and  honor  to  understand  it  well.  He 
had  carefully  explored  the  fields  of  religious  inquiry,  and 
found  in  the  Word  of  God  the  rest  of  his  soul ;  and  with  all 
his  heart  he  believed  it  to  be  the  Word  of  Life  unto  all 
nations.  Under  the  guidance  of  his  Lord,  it  was  as  natural, 
therefore,  to  proclaim  it  unto  others,  as  it  was  to  embrace  it 
for  himself. 

Such  votes,  it  may  be  said,  have  always  been  had,  and 
are  yet  given,  tor  any  and  all  religions  in  the  world.  The 
statement  fails  much  of  truth.  Unquestionably  there  are 
men  of  good  minds  and  sound  judgment  under  the  sway 
of  all  religions.  But  they  could  only  determine  according 
to  the  light  given  them.  WThat  is  seen  through  a  green 
glass  alone,  is  always  green.  But  what,  viewed  through 
various  colored  glasses,  takes  the  color  of  the  medium  ;  and 
then  viewed  in  the  open  light  stands  manifest  in  a  hue  of  its 
own,  but  reveals  to  us  that  the  medium  is  colored,  and  that 
the  entire  beam  displays  the  object  as  it  is.  Men  in  other 
religions  have  had  little  opportunity  of  comparing  one  Pagan- 


INTRODUCTION.  V 

ism  with  another,  and  less  of  comparing  their  image-worship 
or  hero-worship  with  a  genuine  Christianity.  They  have  ever 
been  dissatisfied  with  their  systems,  but  have  had  no  guide 
to  any  that  are  better.  The  moral  impulse  set  them  in 
motion ;  but  flesh  and  sense  only  dragged  them  down- 
wards to  darkness  and  crime.  But  the  case  is  different  in 
Christian  countries.  Here  intercourse  is  had  with  all  nations, 
and  all  religions  are  open  to  view.  When  candid  minds  have 
seen  the  nature  and  the  results  of  Christianity,  they  have 
yielded  their  assent ;  they  have  plighted  their  faith.  Tribes 
have  been  educated  to  Christ ;  nations  have  been  born  in  a 
day.  Enough  has  been  accomplished  to  show  the  superiority 
of  the  faith  of  the  Cross.  And  the  work  is  but  begun. 

It  is  not  so  written  because  we  think  it  is  a  noteworthy 
condescension  for  any  man,  however  exalted,  to  bow  to  the 
authority  of  Holy  Writ ;  or  that  any  man  however  gifted 
places  Christianity  under  any  complim  ent  by  accepting  it. 
The  condescension,  the  compliment  is  all  on  the  other  side. 
The  great  God  in  condescension  and  love  gave  his  Son  ; 
in  condescension  and  love  He  revealed  his  will  to  man. 
All  true.  Yet  on  the  human  side  there  is  an  acceptance  of 
the  scheme,  however  magnificent  ;  an  admission  of  the  pro- 
visions, however  effective  and  glorious.  And  it  is  on  this 
side  we  have  the  mediatorship  of  opinion,  the  high  priest- 
hood of  reason.  Most  men  do  not  think  and  determine 
for  themselves.  They  accept  the  views  the  leaders  of 
thought  have  elaborated,  and  are  satisfied  with  the  conclu- 
sions other  men  have  reached.  Personal  examination  of  all 
our  opinions  would  be  a  tedious  matter,  and  would  give  a  sub- 
stitute for  the  basis  on  which  the  masses  at  present  move. 


VI  INTRODUCTION . 

Notwithstanding  our  boasted  intelligence,  prejudice  and  au- 
thority are  yet  a  power  among  men,  and  ever  will  be.  It  is 
considerations  of  this  kind  that  make  it  a  pleasure  for  the 
Christian  believer  to  find  his  own  faith  strengthened  by  the 
faith  of  a  good  heart,  a  sound  judgment,  and  a  calm  and 
robust  mind.  And  it  is  also  for  considerations  of  this  kind 
that  we  emphasize  the  hearty  acceptance  and  faithful  exem- 
plification of  Christian  doctrine  and  spirit  by  the  veteran 
and  the  sage,  the  theme  of  our  meditation. 

James  Richardson  was  a  Christian  in  the  broadest  sense 
of  the  term.  He  sought  no  modifications  ;  he  made  no 
reservations.  He  accepted  the  whole  scheme.  And  he 
believed  it  to  be  good  for  all  men,  and  all  men  to  be  en- 
titled to  its  benefits.  One  of  the  prominent  characteristics 
of  the  man  was  the  catholicity  of  his  faith  and  charity  of 
his  spirit.  This,  no  doubt,  arose  largely,  as  in  all  cases  of 
genuine  charity,  from  the  directness  and  clearness  of  his 
views.  His  noble  mind  laid  hold  at  once  of  the  great 
essentials  of  the  Christian  system,  faith  in  Christ  and  obe- 
dience to  the  law  of  God.  Cleaving  his  way  with  the 
strokes  of  reason  and  the  thrusts  of  common  sense  through 
externals  of  systems  and  the  barriers  of  dogma,  he  went  at 
once  to  the  heart  of  religion.  And  he  took  the  religion  of 
the  Bible,  the  doctrine  and  the  faith  of  the  cross  of  Christ 
most  earnestly  to  his  own  heart.  He  believed  in  experi- 
mental religion.  He  believed  in  no  other.  If  there  was 
one  thing  more  than  another  that  taxed  his  patience,  it  was 
the  substitution  of  some  device  of  man  for  the  soul-con- 
verting power  of  God,  and  then  calling  it  religion,  or 
religious  duty,  or  a  source  of  religious  comfort.  Religion  to 


INTRODUCTION.  .  Vll 

him  meant  conviction  of  sin,  a  sense  of  guilt  and  helpless- 
ness, an  embracing  of  Christ  for  pardon,  a  consequent  forgive- 
ness, peace  and  joy,  an  assurance  of  acceptance  with  God. 
holiness,  happiness,  heaven.  It  was  a  matter  of  the  heart 
and  life,  at  once  the  deepest  and  highest  interest  of  our 
humanity.  The  idea  of  some  millinery  of  the  tabernacle, 
some  ritualistic  observance,  some  ecclesiastical  imposition 
or  form  supplying  the  unutterable  needs  of  the  soul,  cleans- 
ing and  satisfying  the  conscience,  was  to  him  shocking  and 
absurd.  In  the  narration  of  his  experience  in  the  fellow- 
ship of  the  saints  concerning  his  own  conversion  he  often 
quoted  fhe  words  of  John  Wesley  :  "  I  felt  my  heart  strangely 
warmed."  And  upon  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the 
abiding  witness  of  the  spirit,  in  his  own  oft  uttered  words, 
''  the  life  and  power  of  religion  in  the  soul,"  he  lingered 
with  delight  in  his  meditations,  revelled  in  his  conversation, 
and  expatiated  with  triumph  in  his  public  discourse.  In 
his  quick  and  accurate  perceptions  of  scripture  truth,  he 
had  a  perfect  contempt  for  such  notions  as  apostolical  suc- 
cession, priestly  absolution,  sacramental  pardon  or  regener- 
ation, hierarchical  rule  or  Papal  sovereignty.  Through  most 
of  the  many  years  God  gave  him  on  the  earth,  he  stoutly 
resisted  them,  and  faithfully  denounced  them  both  in  public 
and  private.  Yet  this  was  never  done  with  the  irritation  or 
unseasonableness  of  the  demagogue,  or  for  the  taunt  and 
pomp  of  harangue,  but  manifestly  as  the  result  of  the  pro- 
foundest  convictions,  the  solid  utterances  of  the  broadest 
and  best  intelligence.  He  spake  so,  because  thus  he  knew 
and  believed,  and  because  the  most  precious  concerns  of 
his  fellow  immortals  were  so  inextricably  involved.  He 


Vlll  INTRODUCTION. 

ever  magnified  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  His  work  and  sacri- 
fice. There  could  be  no  blemish  in  His  character ;  no 
partial  or  total  alternative  for  His  vicarious  suffering  and 
death.  No  man  could  add  aught  to  His  atonement ;  none 
could  take  aught  away.  His  was  a  finished  work  of  atone- 
ment. All  that  accepted  Him  were  saved.  None  that 
rejected  Him  could  be  saved.  And  every  man  might  come 
directly  to  God  through  Him.  Thus  were  all  exalted  to  be 
kings  and  priests.  What  need  then  of  a  special  line  of 
priests  ?  Aye,  what  a  blasphemy,  what  a  spoiling  of  Christ 
of  His  dignity  and  honor,  that  any  man  or  any  succession 
of  men  should  say  that  to  him  or  to  them  belonged  the 
power  to  continue  Christ's  sacrifice,  and  perpetuate  and 
communicate  its  efficacy  ;  the  power  to  add  or  diminish 
aught  of  it  so  as  to  open  and  shut  heaven  at  pleasure.  These 
and  all  such  venerable  fancies,  such  ecclesiastical  excres- 
cences and  chronic  spiritual  disorders,  his  vigorous  mind 
cast  off  with  promptitude,  and  on  the  other  hand  asserted 
with  boldness  and  clearness  the  vital  doctrines  of  the 
Divine  Word,  the  sovereignty  of  God,  the  priesthood  of 
Jesus,  salvation  by  faith  alone,  the  immortality  of  the  soul, 
and  the  individual  accountability  of  man. 

Furthermore.  Richardson  was  a  Methodist.  From  what 
has  already  been  written  it  is  apparent  that  it  would  be  easy 
for  him  to  be  a  Methodist,  to  connect  himself  with  that 
great  family  that  sprang  out  of  the  preaching  and  labors  of 
John  Wesley.  Born  and  reared  in  the  Church  of  England, 
up  to  manhood  and  till  his  removal  from  Kingston  to 
Presque  Isle,  he  had  striven  to  be  satisfied  with  the  idea 
that  a  man  duly  baptized  and  receiving  the  sacraments  is 


INTRODUCTION.  IX 

safe.  Inner,  heart-religion,  as  he  himself  afterward  con- 
fesses, he  knew  not  of.  Resting  in  the  outward  observances, 
often  disturbed  and  distressed  with  fears,  he  never  knew 
peace,  assurance,  triumph,  joy.  Yet  he  was  as  well  off  as 
his  neighbours  and  instructors.  But  there  came  to  that 
early  settlement  on  the  lake,  one  of  those  restless  itinerants 
that  for  over  a  hundred  years  have  been  pushing  their  way 
through  forests,  over  mountains,  along  and  across  rivers, 
proclaiming  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  When 
James  Richardson  heard  Wyatt  Chamberlain  tell  what  genu- 
ine religion  is,  he  said  within  himself,  "  If  this  be  religion  I 
have  it  not."  Then  he  sought  it ;  he  desired  a  heartfelt 
experience.  His  powerful  and  practical  mind  comprehended 
the  issues  of  the  case,  and  strove  for  the  application  of  the 
remedy.  He  felt  himself  a  sinner  condemned  under  the  law  : 
then  he  apprehended  the  nature  and  office  of  Christ  as  he 
had  never  before  done.  Christ,  that  knew  no  sin,  had  be- 
come a  sin-offering  for  him.  Christ  his  substitute  He 
knew  it,  he  felt  it.  It  was  then  he  felt  his  heart  strangely 
warmed.  Then  he  felt  the  principle  of  love  and  obedience 
take  the  place  of  pride  and  rebellion.  He  could  submit  to 
God.  He  did  submit.  He  could  trust  the  Lord  and  leave 
his  ways  in  his  Father's  hand.  He  did  trust  and  went 
forth  to  labor  for  God.  Conversion,  change  of  heart,  was 
to  him  a  fact,  a  personal  experience,  not  dependent  on  a 
sacrament,  but  the  resultant  of  confession  to  God  and  faith 
in  Christ.  Nor  was  it  dependant  on  a  line  of  priesthood, 
a  stately  ritual,  or  a  pompous  ceremonial.  He  was  con- 
verted in  a  barn  in  a  country  place  and  among  a  plain 
people.  Here  he  had  the  power  of  God  demonstrated. 


X  IN  PRODUCTION. 

This  rather  upset  his  high  church  notions  and  well  intro- 
duced him  into  the  simplicity,  majesty  and  efficiency  of  the 
Gospel.  He  was  willing  even  to  be  a  Methodist  local 
preacher,  in  which  relationship  to  the  Church  he  served  his 
Lord  some  five  years,  the  time  intervening  from  the  year 
after  his  conversion,  in  1818  to  his  entrance  upon  the 
regular  itinerant  work  in  1824.  These  years  of  tutelage  led 
him  into  a  thorough  acquaintance  with  the  doctrines  of 
grace,,  and  prepared  him  in  a  familiarity  with  the  economy 
of  Methodism,  with  the  people  called  Methodists,  and  with 
their  religious  earnestness  for  the  important  spheres  of  the 
activities  of  his  subsequent  life. 

Born  in  1791,  the  very  year  of  the  death  of  Wesley,  thus 
joining  in  Providence  his  generation  on  Wesley's  times  ; 
early  reached  by  the  Methodist  itinerants,  and  captivated 
by  their  spirit ;  having  a  mind  seeking  out  the  principles  of 
things  and  a  nature  so  apt  to  generous  influences,  there  is 
little  wonder  that  he  came  to  a  lively  appreciation  of  the 
Methodistic  economy,  and  to  a  sincere  love  of  the  doctrine 
and  discipline.  Though  the  people  called  by  that  name 
were  despised,  he  was  perfectly  willing  to  be  despised  with 
them  so  long  as  they  incurred  the  scorn  and  reproach  for 
Jesus'  sake  ;  and  the  reproach  was  not  cast  upon  them  for 
irreligion  or  immorality  ;  for  formalism  or  ritualism  ;  but 
for  awakened  earnestness  and  renewed  activity,  designated 
as  these  were  as  overwrought  zeal  and  fanaticism.  This  is 
as  though  the  dying  flower  or  drooping  fruit  should  cast  re- 
proach upon  the  generous  life  that  had  produced  it.  It 
were  better  to  be  alive  with  the  lowly  and  the  poor,  than 
grandly  coffined  and  magnificently  sepultured  with  the  rich 


INTRODUCTION.  XI 

and  the  great.     The  gist  of  the  English  Wesleyan  move- 
ment and  its  extension   in   America  was  the  infusion  of  a 
new  spiritual  power.     It  was  not  the  chastening  of  a  ritual 
or  the  expurgation  of  a  liturgy,  but  the  sloughing  of  dead 
integuments  and  the  impartation  of  a  new  life.     It  was  pre- 
eminently and  emphatically  a  revival  of  religion.     Life,  life 
in  the  soul.     Life  in  the  church  was  its  central  idea.     This 
was   the  excellency  that   arrested   Richardson's   attention. 
Again  the  lofty  aim  of  the  movement,  to  spread  scriptural 
holiness   over  the  land,  stamped   it  with   the  patent  of  a 
heavenly  nobility.     "  God  thrust  us  out  to  raise  up  a  holy 
people,"  said  Wesley.     Here  was  faith,  courage,  directness 
and  power.     Such  an    enterprise  must  have   charms  for  a 
spirit  given  to  a  Christian  daring  and  delighting  in  Godlike 
achievements.    To  be  converted  to  God,  to  be  sanctified  of 
the   Holy  Ghost,  and  to  live  and  labor  for  Jesus,  this  was 
religion  to  the  good  Bishop.     Often  he  spake  of  the  simple 
conditions  of  membership  in  Methodism  as  contrasted  with 
the  requirements  in  other  churches,  and  of  the  rules  of  the 
United  Societies.      These    more    than    the   doctrines   and 
methods  he  held  to  be  the  distinctive  marks  of  his  people. 
"  There  is  only  one  condition  previously  required  of  those 
who  desire  admission   into  these  societies,  a  desire  to  flee 
from  the  wrath  to   come  and   to   be  saved  from  their  sins. 
But  wherever  this  is  really  fixed  in  the  soul  it  will  be  shown 
by  its  fruits.     It  is  therefore  expected  of  all  who  continue 
herein,  that  they  should  continue  to  evidence  their  desire  of 
salvation  (i)   by  doing  no  harm,  by  avoiding  evil  of  every 
kind,  (2)   by  doing  good,  (3)  by  attending  upon  the  ordi- 
nances of  God."     Such  is  the  catholicity  of  Methodism  :  no 


Xll  INTRODUCTION. 

fettering  with  creeds,  no  persecution  for  opinions,  no  exter- 
nal clampings  of  ritual  or  succession.  All  these  are  adverse 
to  its  spirit.  And  we  believe  they  are  opposed  to  the  spirit 
of  the  Church  of  Christ.  We  would  that  even  all  Protestant 
pastors  apprehended  these  truths  as  clearly  as  James  Richard- 
son, and  pronounced  them  as  distinctly.  To  him  the  unity 
of  the  church  grew  up  from  the  life  within.  The  unity  of 
the  Church  of  Christ  was  like  the  unity  of  the  vine  or  of  the 
human  body.  It  was  the  result  of  growth,  compacted  by 
that  which  every  joint  supplieth,  making  increase  of  the 
body  unto  the  edifying  of  itself  in  love.  How  eloquently 
and  energetically  have  we  heard  the  venerable  Bishop  main- 
tain these  truths  !  How  positively  would  he  repudiate  the 
claims  of  a  Hierarchy  or  a  Papacy  constructing  and  enforc- 
ing an  external  unity  !  What  contempt  he  had  for  all  sacer- 
dotalism and  sacramentarianism  attempting  to  weave  to- 
gether by  human  hands  what  God  knits  together  with  joints 
and  bands  of  his  own  divine  fabric  and  supply.  On  the 
other  hand,  what  admiration  he  had  for  the  spiritual  and 
glorious  unity  of  Christ's  mystical  body,  the  Church  of  God  ! 
How  diligently  he  labored  and  how  constantly  he  pleaded 
for  the  union  of  all  men  to  Christ,  and  in  Christ.  Thus  he 
understood  Christianity.  Thus  he  understood  Methodism. 
Wherefore  it  was  the  one  employment  of  his  best  abilities, 
the  one  aim  of  his  best  efforts  to  make  Methodism  a  power 
in  the  land. 

Furthermore,  he  was  an  Episcopal  Methodist.  And  this 
he  was  right  heartily  and  loyally,  and  of  an  immovable  con- 
viction. He  never  was  a  sectary  or  bigot,  of  such  a 
character  in  his  noble  charity  he  was  utterly  incapable.  But 


INTRODUCTION.  XllI 

among  all  Christian  denominations  he  preferred  Episcopal 
Methodism.  And  to  it  was  he  affectionately  devoted  from' 
the  day  of  his  conversion  to  God  till  the  day  of  his  death. 
His  attachments  grew  with  his  years,  and  strengthened  with 
his  enlarging  experience.  When  he  was  converted  the 
Methodists  of  the  country  were,  with  scarcely  an  exception, 
all  episcopal.  In  1790,  the  year  before  his  birth,  Wm. 
Losee,  of  the  New  York  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  under  the  direction  of  Asbury,  introduced 
Methodism  into  Canada.  On  the  appointment  of  the  same 
apostolic  bishop  and  his  coadjutor,  itinerant  followed 
itinerant  into  those  northern  wilds,  looking  up  the  settler  as 
he  penetrated  the  forests  and  planted  his  home  along  our 
lakes  and  bays.  Bangs,  Jewell,  Dunham,  Pickett,  Sawyer, 
Ryan,  Case,  and  many  contemporaries  and  successors  were 
sent  in  from  the  New  York  Conferences,  the  Bay  Quinte 
district  and  Niagara  district,  being  considered  as  regularly 
part  of  their  work  as  the  districts  about  Albany  and  New 
York.  And  why  should  it  not  be  so  ?  Why  should  the 
catholic  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ  be  hemmed  in  or  divided 
by  political  boundaries  ?  Why  should  the  petty  strifes  of 
men  mark  out  the  limits  of  the  Church  of  God  ?  In  181 1 
Asbury  himself  made  an  episcopal  tour  of  Canada.  At 
this  time  there  were  two  districts,  eleven  circuits,  and  nearly 
three  thousand  members.  In  1817,  about  the  time  of 
Richardson's  removal  from  Kingston  to  Presque  Isle,  the 
Genesee  annual  conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  was  held  at  Elizabethtown,  near  Brockville,  under 
presidency  of  Bishop  George,  and  in  1820  the  same  con- 
ference under  the  same  presidency  was  held  in  the  chapel 
B 


XIV  INTRODUCTION. 

at  the  west  end  of  Lundy's  Lane.  By  this  time  the  circuits 
had  grown  to  seventeen  in  number  and  the  membership  to 
nearly  6,000.  In  August  1824,  Bishops  George  and  Hed- 
ding  were  both  present  at  the  organization  of  the  Canada 
Conference,  as  an  annual  Conference  of  the  M  E.  Church  ; 
and  the  latter  presided  in  October  1828,  in  the  Ernesto wn 
conference  when  the  Canada  conference  organized  itself 
into  an  independent  "  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
Canada."  At  the  request  of  the  conference  he  also  pre- 
sided at  Kingston  in  1830,  and  ordained,  as  presented  to 
him,  six  elders  and  twenty-one  deacons.  The  American 
Bishops  of  course  presided  over  the  conferences  intervening 
between  1824  and  1828. 

Richardson  passed  through  all  these  scenes  ;  with  many 
of  them  he  was  closely  connected,  and  in  them  a  chief 
actor.  He  had,  therefore,  every  opportunity  of  observing 
the  operations  of  this  polity.  Likewise  he  was  early  pre- 
disposed in  its  favor  from  his  nurture  in  the  Church  of 
England.  At  the  Saltfleet  Conference  in  1825,  Bishop 
Redding  in  the  chair,  Jas.  Richardson  and  Egerton  Ryer- 
son  were  admitted  on  trial.  Under  this  economy  he 
travelled  with  William  Case,  William,  John  and  Egerton 
Ryerson,  Thos.  Madden,  Anson  Green,  Philander  Smith, 
and  others  whose  names  are  familiar  in  the  early  Methodism 
of  the  country.  In  1827  Ryerson  and  Richardson  were 
ordained  deacons  by  bishop  Hedding  in  the  old  church  yet 
standing  on  King  street,  Hamilton  ;  and  in  1830,  they  and 
others  made  up  the  list  of  six  elders.  Several  times  secre- 
tary of  the  conference  up  101832,  he  had  cherished  this 
economy,  and  as  editor  of  the  Christian  Guardian,  esta- 


INTRODUCTION.  XV 

blished  in  the  interests  of  the  M.  E.  Church  in  Canada,  he 
had  defended  it.  No  wonder  then  that  his  mind  recoiled 
from  the  measures  of  the  conference  in  1833,  that  swept 
away  at  one  stroke,  bishops,  elders,  and  deacons,  annual 
and  general  conferences,  and  adopted  an  annual  conference 
of  ministers  in  lieu  thereof.  No  wonder  that  he  and  others 
resisted  to  the  last  the  casting  away  of  the  organization  and 
polity  deliberately  recommended  by  John  Wesley  to  the 
churches  in  America  and  the  taking  instead  thereof,  the 
distorted  institutions  and  undesirable  expediencies  into 
which  that  good  man  had  been  forced  in  Britain,  cramped 
and  crowded  as  was  the  growth  of  his  societies  by  state  re- 
quirements and  the  oppressive  domination  of  the  Established 
Church.  No  wonder  good  men  saddened,  and  doubted, 
and  waited  and  wavered  and  wept  and  prayed.  If  there  is 
anything  that  intelligent  and  true  men  come  to  love,  it  is 
not  first,  hill,  or  river,  or  mountain,  but  it  is. first,  and  deep- 
est, and  longest,  and  strongest,  the  precious  ordinances, 
appointments,  and  agencies  of  the  Church,  and  the 
cherished  institutions  of  the  State,  these  institutions  that 
save  our  life,  guard  our  liberties,  instruct  our  minds,  and 
purify  our  hearts,  increase  our  comforts,  bless  our  kindred, 
and  exalt  our  race  ;  these  are  our  dearest  inheritance  and 
our  best  legacy  to  our  children.  In  such  an  honored  rank 
was  the  Canadian  Methodist  Episcopacy  previous  to  1833. 
So  did  many  of  the  fathers  cherish  it,  and  so  do  many  of 
their  children  love  it  to-day.  So  is  it  venerated  and  held 
by  millions  of  the  Methodists  of  the  United  States  of 
America  this  hour.  .They  would  rather  you  would  take 
their  homes  than  the  ecclesiastical  economy  recommended 


XVI  INTRODUCTION. 

to  them  under  the  sanctions  of  history  by  the  wise  and 
venerable  Wesley,  and  adopted  with  Coke's  and  Asbury's 
ordinations  by  the  general  conference  of  1784.  It  is  to 
them  a  bond  of  union  and  a  fortress  of  power.  It  is  a 
pledge  of  security,  of  progress  and  of  peace.  Such  an 
estimate  did  Richardson  and  several  of  his  contemporaries 
place  upon  it.  Who  shall  wonder  that  he  was  in  conster- 
nation, in  difficulty  and  doubt,  when  it  was  swept  away  ? 
The  wonder  is  that  he  did  not  promptly,  openly,  boldly 
and  continually  resist  the  destruction  of  such  a  polity.  This 
is  the  one  mistake  of  his  life.  He  and  others  of  the  time 
that  loved  these  institutions  ought  to  have  rallied  to  their 
defence.  The  face  of  affairs  would  have  been  different  to- 
day. But  as  the  noble  bishop  often  said  :  "  They  acted  in 
the  interests  of  harmony  and  peace  ;  and  they  thought  they 
did  for  the  best."  And  so  may  it  be  in  the  Providence  of 
God.  Who  can  tell  ?  For  peace'  sake  he  went  for  a  little 
with  the  tide,  and  then  for  his  own  peace  and  conscience' 
sake  he  sought  another  course  and  turned  the  shattered 
keel  into  the  old  channels  and  the  well-known  waters. 
Sweeping  over  the  well  charted  track  his  vessel  at  length 
made  happy  port  in  full  sail.  There  was  administered  unto 
him  an  abundant  entrance. 

He  and  those  with  him  found  Canada  to  be  peculiarly 
the  suffering  ground  of  Episcopal  Methodism.  Inasmuch 
as  at  civil  suggestion  and  outside  ecclesiastical  interference, 
the  many  would  abdicate  and  even  abrogate  the  polity  the 
few  desired,  its  maintenance  became  a  matter  of  vital  im- 
portance. Episcopacy  became  a  centre  of  contention  ;  its 
defence  and  promotion  a  principal  of  action.  It  would  not 


INTRODUCTION.  XV11 

therefore  be  a  matter  of  surprise  if  some  of  its  aspects  had 
been  unduly  magnified,  if  there  had  been  over-estimates 
and  exaggerations  touching  it.  Too  much  may  have  been 
said  about  the  orders  and  too  little  store  set  by  the  procla- 
mation of  God's  Word  by  men  not  very  regular  or  defensi- 
ble in  their  orders.  Yet  a  solid  mind  like  Richardson's 
having  had  the  advantage  of  all  the  experience  and  history 
of  the  contest  must  take  in  all  the  issues  of  the  case  and 
must  pronounce  a  verdict  worthy  of  respect.  And  when 
that  verdict  has  the  sanction  of  a  life  of  privation  and  suf- 
fering, like  the  testimony  of  the  Apostles,  it  is  the  more  to 
be  regarded.  Just  as  the  acceptance  of  the  Gospel  by 
intellects  of  a  certain  grade  and  habit  is  an  argument  for 
the  Gospel,  so  the  adoption  and  retention  of  a  polity  by 
minds  of  power  and  of  opportunities  for  experience  is  an 
argument  in  favor  of  the  polity.  And  Richardson  did, 
unreservedly  and  unqualifiedly,  accept  the  Methodist 
Episcopacy.  While  on  the  one  hand  he  rejected,  as  an  in- 
vention of  man,  the  divine  right  of  the  Episcopacy,  and  the 
conveyance  of  authority  or  sacramental  force  and  virtue  in 
a  line  of  succession  from  the  Apostles,  on  the  other  he  held 
fast  and  firm  the  doctrine  of  a  divine  call  to  the  Ministry  ? 
and  the  necessity  of  a  proper  recognition  of  the  call  by 
the  Church  of  God,  in  formal  and  public  acceptance  of  the 
candidate  and  in  his  solemn  designation  to  his  office.  And 
inasmuch  as  the  Apostles  had  instituted  their  Churches  with 
the  grades  or  orders  of  Bishop  or  Elder,  and  Deacon,  and 
these  arrangements  of  men  had  been  sanctioned  in  New 
Testament  times  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  inasmuch  as  high 
evangelical  authorities  through  successive  ages,  had  called 


XV111  INTRODUCTION. 

back  the  Church  from  arrogant  assumptions  to  Apostolical 
simplicity  ;  and  especially  as  John  Wesley,  convinced  of  the 
validity  of  Episcopal  ordinances,  as  opposed  to  Papal  or 
Hierarchical,  had  so  organized  the  Church  in  America,  it 
did  seem  important  to  Richardson  and  many  of  his  asso- 
ciates in  the  Conference,  that  the  Episcopacy,  as  given  them 
by  Mr.  Wesley,  should  be  retained.  They  therefore 
resisted  to  the  last  in  the  Conference  the  proposed  changes, 
and  when  these  had  been  consummated,  they  acquiesced 
for  a  little  to  avoid  rending  the  Church.  In  this  spirit 
and  yet  ill  at  ease,  Richardson  acted  with  the  Conference 
for  a  time,  and  at  length  withdrew,  and  even  took  work  in 
the  United  States,  thinking  that  in  the  Christian  Ministry 
under  the  cherished  Episcopacy,  he  would  find  some  com- 
pensation for  a  temporary  absence  from  his  native  land. 
But  here  operated  another  strong  principle  of  his  nature. 
His  love  of  country  and  devotion  to  the  Crown  made  him 
restless  in  his  associations  with  a  people,  however  intelligent, 
pious  and  worthy,  that  did  not  sympathize  with  the  strong 
emotions  of  his  soul,  or  hold  their  ordinary  conversation 
in  harmony  with  his  views  on  governmental  order  and 
public  policy.  Seeking  again  the  rest  he  had  crossed  the 
national  lines  to  obtain,  he  speedily  returned  to  Canada. 
Here  he  found  a  band  of  Episcopal  Methodists  that  had 
never  left  their  Church  or  submitted  to  an  unconstitutional 
abandonment  of  the  Episcopacy,  doing  what  had  been 
better  done  by  himself  and  those  that  hesitated  with  him  in 
the  day  of  crisis  and  calamity.  They  were  rallying  about 
the  old  standard  and  had  determined  to  maintain  Episcopal 
Methodism  in  the  country,  though  fiercely  assailed  from 


INTRODUCTION.  XIX 

both  political  and  ecclesiastical  quarters.  With  them, 
though  the  prospect  was  in  all  conscience  forbidding 
enough,  Richardson  decided  to  cast  in  his  lot,  and  take 
what  might  come,  trusting  in  the  Lord.  Obloquy  did 
come,  and  much  gainsaying  and  persecution,  but  his  con- 
victions were  deep  and  firm,  and  here  his  settled  mind  had 
rest.  He  had  associated  himself  with  a  church,  compara- 
tively weak  it  is  true  ;  but  then  he  had  a  people  ready  to 
suffer  in  the  interests  of  their  country,  to  deny  themselves 
of  Government  patronage  in  vindication  of  the  voluntary 
principle  of  Church  support  ;  a  people  to  whom  the 
simple  Word  of  God  was  a  delight,  and  the  Episcopal  polity 
given  of  Wesley  and  sanctioned  of  the  fathers  was  a  rallying 
point  and  a  fortress.  And  with  this  people  he  laboured 
and  suffered  till  death  brought  him  to  his  reward. 

For  some  years,  with  the  consent  of  his  Conference,  he 
served  the  Upper  Canada  Bible  Society.  His  efficiency  in 
that  sphere  is  well  attested  by  the  eulogies  and  records  on 
the  occasion  of  his  death.  In  1858  at  St.  Davids  he  was 
elected  and  consecrated  Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  Canada.  This  office  gave  fitting  scope  to  his 
magnificent  powers  of  administration.  His  were  endowments 
that  would  have  shone  in  a  councillor  of  state  or  a  judge 
upon  the  bench.  Yet  they  were  ever  employed  in  all  meek- 
ness and  gentleness  with  the  evident  desire  to  promote  the 
interests  of  his  church  and  bring  glory  to  God.  In  know- 
ledge of  ecclesiastical  law  and  usage  he  had  no  superior  in 
the  land.  In  Methodist  polity  and  discipline  he  was  as 
thoroughly  versed  as  any  man  of  his  times.  Having  acted 
as  exhorter,  local  preacher,  assistant,  preacher  in  charge,  and 


5CX  INTRODUCTION. 

presiding  elder  he  had  regularly  graduated  in  this  great 
university  of  evangelism  and  grace.  To  regulate  the  affairs 
of  circuits  and  districts,  to  direct  the  movements  of  the 
itinerancy,  to  guide  and  control  the  deliberations  and  en- 
terprises of  conferences,  and  with  dignity  and  effect  to  pre- 
side in  boards  and  senates  seemed  to  him  like  a  second  nature, 
and  never  apparently  either  burdened  or  perplexed  him.  Un- 
der a  weight  of  responsibility  he  was  steady;  amid  conflicting 
opinions  he  was  calm,  and  in  the  agitations  of  assemblies  he 
was  easy  and  firm.  He  brought  the  coolness  and  prompt- 
ness of  the  naval  chieftan,  qualities  he  had  disciplined  in 
actual  service,  into  the  storms  of  councils  and  the  commo- 
tions of  conferences.  His  advanced  years  even  at  the  time 
he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  episcopate,  left  not  much 
to  be  expected  at  his  hands  in  the  line  of  personal  super- 
vision of  the  vast  field  by  actual  visitation  of  the  charges  : 
Nevertheless  he  was  much  abroad  in  the  work,  and  wher- 
ever he  moved,  his  sincere  piety,  his  weight  of  character, 
the  breadth  of  his  experience,  the  extent  of  his  wisdom,  the 
gentility  of  his  bearing  and  the  unaffected  simplicity  of  his 
manner  rendered  him  powerful  for  good  in  any  circle  he 
touched,  and  gave  him  the  high  honor  of  being  at  once  a 
godly  man  and  a  universal  favourite  among  the  people. 

Among  all  his  countrymen  of  all  religious  denominations 
he  was  held  in  veneration,  and  they  vied  one  with  the  other 
in  proffering  the  kindliest  of  offices  and  paying  the  pro- 
foundest  respect  He  was  entertained  at  many  homes  of 
those  not  of  his  own  people,  and  had  among  his  sincerest 
friends  and  admirers  those  that  belonged  to  other  ecclesias- 
tical communions.  Even  the  rulers  of  the  land  waited  upon 


INTRODUCTION.  XXI 

his  conversation  with  profit,  for,  for  him  to  tell  his  experi- 
ence was  to  recite  the  history  and  unfold  the  policy  of  former 
times.  He  knew  by  sight  and  feeling  and  personal  inter- 
course what  they  were  learning  from  books.  In  the  families 
of  his  charge  all  were  impressed  that  the  venerable  bishop 
had  a  solemn  mission,  and  saw  that  he  was  about  the 
Master's  business.  Yet  all  felt  they  had  free  access  to 
him,  and  were  lifted  by  his  example  and  conversation  to  the 
purer  intercourse  of  heaven.  To  the  children  of  the  house- 
holds he  visited  he  was  always  joyously  welcome  ;  to  the 
youth  it  was  a  delight  to  serve  him,  and  to  the  mature 
and  aged  his  recitals  of  incident  and  interchanges  of  opinion 
were  always  an  opportunity  and  an  honor.  He  was  thought 
in  all  respects  a  model  Bishop,  and  any  one  going  by  the 
name  must  be  like  him  in  person  and  act.  His  successor 
was  at  a  certain  place  voted  out  of  the  office  by  the  juven- 
iles because  he  had  two  arms.  "  He  could  not  be  a  Bishop 
for  Bishop  Richardson  had  only  one  arm."  And  he  was 
indeed  a  model  Bishop.  They  are  rare  that  have  as  well 
filled  up  the  outlines  of  the  Apostolical  pattern  :  "  A 
Bishop  must  be  blameless,  the  husband  of  one  wife,  vigilant, 
sober,  of  good  behaviour,  given  to  hospitality,  apt  to  teach, 
not  given  to  wine,  no  striker,  not  greedy  of  filthy  lucre,  but 
patient,  not  a  brawler,  not  covetous  ;  not  a  novice,  lest  being 
lifted  up  with  pride,  he  fall  into  condemnation  of  the  devil. 
Moreover  he  must  have  a  good  report  from  them  that  are 
without,  lest  he  fall  into  reproach  and  the  snares  of  the 
devil." 

Viewed  simply  as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel  the  subject  of 
our  narrative  presented  points   of  interest.     His  forte  was 


XX11  INTRODUCTION. 

argument ;  calm,  consecutive  reasoning.  His  propositions 
were  definite  and  their  logical  connection  clear.  His  expo- 
sition of  Scripture  at  once  edified  and  satisfied  the  mind. 
There  was  no  effort  at  ornamentation  of  style,  and  yet 
his  discourse  was  far  from  being  without  ornament.  There 
was  never  an  attempt  at  moving  the  feelings  without  first 
convincing  the  judgment,  and  yet  often  his  auditors,  in  sym- 
pathy with  himself,  were  melted  to  tears.  In  preaching  he 
ordinarily  opened  with  a  lucid  statement  of  the  Scriptural 
connections  of  his  theme.  His  divisions  were  distinct  and 
his  proofs  of  what  he  attempted  decisive,  and  when  argu- 
ment had  culminated  into  persuasion,  and  persuasion  into 
entreaty,  he  bore  along  with  him  the  convictions  and  emo- 
tions of  the  hearers.  The  love  of  God  to  man,  as  manifested 
in  Christ's  humiliation,  passion  and  crucifixion  was  to  him 
the  melting  theme,  and  when  his  heart  glowed  under  the 
beams  of  this  love,  the  train  of  argument  had  been  so  well 
laid  that  the  flame  ran  swiftly  to  all  hearts  and  melted  all 
into  contrition  and  sacred  joy.  What  shouts  have  leaped 
from  other  lips  while  his  have  quivered  with  trembling  and 
overflowing  utterance  !  It  is  not  enough  to  affirm,  "  God 
so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son/' 
majestic  as  is  the  enunciation.  It  is  not  enough  to  sweep 
into  rhapsody  or  swell  into  declamation  on  the  infinite  be- 
nevolence of  Jehovah,  or  His  eternal  purposes  of  goodness. 
The  attention  must  be  detained  at  length  on  the  magnificent 
theme.  The  hearer  must  behold  the  wonders  of  His  law, 
the  glories  of  His  government  and  the  riches  of  His  grace, 
He  must  contemplate  the  mysteries  of  redemption,  the 
worth  of  the  soul,  and  the  inestimable  price  paid  for  it  in 


INTRODUCTION.  XX111 

blood.  Thus  to  detain  the  mind  and  unfold  the  marvels  of 
.grace  was  our  preacher's  delight  and  strength.  It  was  by 
these  presentations  in  plain  yet  forcible  and  majestic  speech, 
that  he  kindled  the  emotions  and  bare  upward  the  flame 
till  his  audience  was  swept  in  thought  and  feeling  to  the 
light-crowned  eminences  of  truth  and  duty. 

Again,  it  was  a  matter  of  emphasis  with  him,  likely  more 
than  with  any  ol  his  brethren,  to  denounce  in  fearless  tone, 
yet  in  dispassionate  and  effective  terms,  all  formalism,  and 
ritualism  and  sacerdotalism  in  the  Church  of  the  Living 
God.  Detesting  sham  everywhere,  he  could  not  for  a 
moment  bear  it  in  religion.  In  his  view,  man  was  born 
with  a  corrupt  nature  ;  had  incurred  the  guilt  of  actual  sin  ; 
if  in  sin,  was  lying  every  hour  under  the  flashing  condemna- 
tion of  God's  law;  could  not  deliver  himself;  was  weak, 
helpless,  utterly  unworthy ;  must  have  an  atonement,  a 
Saviour,  or  forever  perish  ;  could  not  redeem  his  brother  ; 
could  find  no  help  in  man  or  angel.  God,  God  alone  could 
bring  salvation ;  God's  Son,  very  God,  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  alone  could  effect  atonement.  He  is  our  High 
Priest,  and  He  alone.  There  is  no  pardon  but  through  his 
blood.  There  is  no  cleansing  but  His  blood  applied  by 
the  Eternal  Spirit.  There  is  no  mediator,  no  altar,  no  sac- 
rifice, no  priest,  but  the  lowly  Nazarene  on  the  Cross  of 
Calvary,  the  exalted  Redeemer  at  the  right  hand  of  God. 
Through  Him  and  Him  alone  men  have  access  to  God. 
By  him  alone  they  have  pardon,  life,  and  power  to  keep  the 
divine  commands.  The  era  of  typical  priest,  and  altar  and 
ceremony  is  gone  and  the  true  light  now  shineth.  We 
must  be  born  again,  born  of  the  Spirit,  and  live  in  the 


XXIV  INTRODUCTION. 

obedience  of  love  through  faith.  The  sacrament  has  no 
saving,  converting,  cleansing  power  in  itself  ;  and  is  but  the 
sign  of  reconciliation  already  effected,  and  allegiance  already 
sworn.  A  new  heart  given  of  God  on  repentance  and  faith, 
must  be  the  spring  of  a  new  life  wrought  out  in  the  man  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  by  the  man  in  his  bringing  forth  the 
fruits  of  the  Spirit.  To  a  mind  imbued  with  such  views  of 
the  essence  and  character  of  the  Christian  religion  as  a 
transaction  betwixt  God  and  the  soul  through  Jesus  Christ 
alone,  how  must  the  claims  of  the  Papacy  appear ;  the  ar- 
rogance of  the  so-called  priesthood,  the  imputed  efficacy  of 
the  sacraments,  or  the  asserted  spiritual  energy  of  certain 
forms.  Contemptible  !  all  contemptible,  and  always  con- 
temptible !  Aye,  more  and  worse  than  that  !  A  mon- 
strosity of  crime  and  wickedness,  since  they  are  employed 
by  the  proud,  the  corrupt,  the  selfish  and  the  sinful  to 
delude  the  masses  of  men,  and  keep  them  in  blindness  and 
ignorance  that  they  and  their  substance  may  be  used  for 
the  gratification  of  lust,  and  at  the  behest  of  hierarchical 
avarice  and  ambition.  In  view  of  these  misled  and  perish- 
ing multitudes,  our  preacher's  generous  soul  was  filled  with 
indignation  and  sadness.  He  could  not  but  be  indignant 
that  these  assumptions  that  had  wrought  such  ruin  in  the  past, 
were  still  flaring  and  exulting  in  the  ranks  of  the  wordly  and 
the  haughty  that  are  readiest  to  call  themselves  the  Church 
of  God.  He  could  not  but  be  sad  that  under  the  guise  and 
name  of  religion,  so  many  were  benighted  and  led  on 
through  sin  to  death.  Indignant  and  sad,  it  was  the  bur- 
den of  his  ministry  eloquently  to  proclaim  against  such  a 
priesthood,  the  fallacy  and  wickedness  of  such  assumptions, 


INTRODUCTION.  XXV 

and  eloquently  to  advocate  in  the  face  of  the  people,  the 
perfection  of  Christ's  atonement  and  the  sufficiency  and 
infallibility  of  the  Word  of  God. 

It  may  be  fitting  to  conclude  this  paper,  by  a  glance  at 
the  world-ward  side  of  the  subject  of  our  sketch.  If  James 
Richardson  was  a  man  of  God,  he  was  also  a  man  for  the 
world.  If  he  was  a  preacher  of  divine  truth  he  was  also  an 
advocate  and  defender  of  the  rights  of  man.  If  he  was  a 
Bishop  in  the  church  of  Christ,  he  was  also  a  prince  in  the 
Commonwealth  of  freemen  ;  one  of  the  kingliest  in  a  nation 
of  kings.  He  was  a  living  illustration  that  religion  is  not 
one  thing,  and  the  social  bond,  or  civil  obligation,  or  political 
duty  quite  another.  Man  is  held  to  man  by  various  ties  ; 
but  the  divine  bond,  religion,  that  holds  all  men  one  to  the 
other,  and  all  men  to  the  great  God,  runs  a  silken  cord 
throughout  the  whole  warp  and  woof  and  is  that  alone  that 
gives  integrity  and  endurance  to  the  entire  fabric.  The  se- 
paration of  religion  from  domestic  or  civil  or  social  duties  is 
a  perfect  absurdity.  It  is  that  divorcement  of  what  God  has 
joined  together  that  curses  the  human  race.  There  is  no 
such  thing  as  duty  at  all,  unless  there  is  the  eternal  throne 
and  the  Almighty  God  enthroned  thereon.  It  is  because  God 
made  us,  and  made  us  free  and  morally  intelligent  that  we 
are  accountable.  This  is  the  source  of  law  and  sanction  of 
government  and  judgment  and  penalty  :  and  this  for  all  life's 
relations  is  religion,  the  bond  and  the  obligation  of  all  in- 
telligent and  free  creatures  to  the  eternal  throne.  The  true 
citizen  then  is  loyal  at  once  to  his  God  and  his  King. 
There  is  no  sounder  philosophy,  no  purer  religion  than  this  : 
"  Honor  all  men,  love  the  brotherhood,  fear  God,  honor  the 


XXVI  INTRODUCTION. 

King."  Of  this  philosophy  and  this  religion  the  venerable 
Bishop  through  all  his  days  was  a  noble  exemplification. 
He  learned  loyalty  of  his  father,  a  veteran  mariner  in  the 
British  service.  Himself  a  sailor  in  very  childhood,  at  the 
early  age  of  18  he  entered  the  royal  marines  on  the  lakes. 
A  lieutenant  in  the  navy  he  served  his  king  and  country  in 
the  war  of  1812,  and  distinguished  himself  by  his  valor 
and  discretion  on  several  occasions  of  importance.  He  bore 
to  his  death  an  evidence  of  the  determination  and  courage 
with  which  he  prosecuted  the  attack  upon  Oswego,  in  that 
with  one  hand  alone  he  was  compelled  to  indicate  the  way 
of  duty  to  men,  and  with  one  arm  alone  to  fight  the  remain- 
der of  life's  battles.  He  was  ever  devoutly  attached  to  the 
British  throne,  and  cherished  the  profoundest  reverence  for 
the  British  constitution,  usages  and  laws.  He  intelligently 
and  conscientiously  preferred  them  above  all  the  polities  of 
other  nations,  and  all  the  institutes  and  orders  of  other  gov- 
ernments of  the  earth.  He  held  to  the  crown  and  the  throne 
firmly  enough  for  the  staunchest  Tory  :  he  contended  for  the 
rights  of  the  people  strenuously  enough,  and  swept 
away  the  tyrannies  of  orders  and  aristocracies  ruthlessly 
enough  for  the  most  radical  Reformer.  Born  in  1791, 
the  very  year  that  Upper  Canada  was  made  a  char- 
tered colony  and  given  an  organization  in  government 
by  George  III.,  he  grew  up  through  our  history  and  partici- 
pated in  the  political  movements  of  his  times.  Drawn  by 
some  of  his  kinsmen  into  politics  before  he  entered  the 
gospel  ministry,  he  never  ceased  to  take  a  lively  interest  in 
the  public  affairs  of  the  country.  With  all  the  early 
Methodists  he  was  fervently  opposed  to  every  form  and 


INTRODUCTION.  XXV11 

degree  of  Church  and  State  connection  that  in  any  way 
hampered  the  Church  with  the  bonds  of  the  State  ;  and  it 
was  this  settled  conviction  of  his  mind,  and  this  unalterable 
determination  of  his  public  policy,  that  decided  his  course 
in  the  years  and  events  of  the  disruption  of  Canadian 
Methodism.  He  could  give  no  countenance  to  a  move- 
ment that  was  to  divert  his  people  from  their  long  settled 
principles  and  betray  their  political  influence  into  the  hands 
of  a  party  striving  to  the  very  death  to  make  the  Church  of 
England  the  established  Church  of  Canada,  and.  renew  in 
the  Province  the  oppression  and  wrongs,  the  spiritual 
inactivity  and  unfruitfulness  of  the  establishment  in  the 
mother  land.  These  statements  will  also  readily  indicate 
what  course  he  would  pursue  in  the  settlement  of  those 
angry  questions  that  pivoted  on  the  rectories,  the  clergy 
reserves,  King's  College  and  Toronto  University,  and  all 
kindred  issues  before  the  country.  In  every  conflict  he  was 
with  the  people  and  opposed  to  any  and  every  ecclesiastical 
or  political  aristocracy  and  monopoly.  He  firmly  and  fully 
believed  that  every  man  should  be  free  to  worship  God 
according  to  the  dictates  of  his  conscience,  should  be  pro- 
tected by  the  laws  of  the  land  therein,  and  should  not  be 
compelled  directly  or  indirectly  by  taxation  to  support 
another's  peculiar  dogma  or  creed.  Liberty  of  conscience 
and  liberty  of  worship  were  cardinal  doctrines  of  his  reli- 
gious and  political  faith.  The  voluntary  principle,  the 
support  of  every  Church's  institutions  by  the  contributions 
of  its  members  and  adherents  or  friends  in  harmony  with 
its  spirit  was  a  favorite  rallying  cry  of  his  co-religionists 
and  a  cherished  aim  of  his  heart  and  life  for  his  beloved 


XXV111  INTRODUCTION. 

native  land.  Though  never  meddling  in  party  strifes,  or 
interfering  in  sectional  or  partisan  conflicts,  he  was  always 
well  informed  on  the  great  issues  before  the  people  and 
prepared  with  hand  and  voice  to  act  his  part.  At  home  in 
the  political  movements  of  all  countries,  he  was  profoundly 
interested  in  everything  that  pertained  to  his  own  land  and 
people.  He  loved  his  country  ardently  and  served  it 
honorably  and  faithfully,  and  for  that  love  and  service  he 
was  dearly  beloved  by  his  countrymen.  Few  men  have 
filled  out  so  well  the  orb  of  a  perfect  character ;  and  few 
have  been  permitted  of  God  to  shine  out  so  long  and  so 
bright  amid  the  constellations  of  this  lower  firmament. 
Lifted  high  in  the  empyrean  he  still  sheds  through  the 
spheres  a  mild  radiance  on  the  world.  In  the  mystic  pho- 
tography of  the  soul,  the  gentle  ray  in  silent  energy  is  trac- 
ing out  the  lineaments  of  his  character  and  the  record  of  his 
life  on  the  walls  and  pillars  of  the  living  temple,  reared  of 
living  stones  ;  and  as  they  come  forth  to  our  view  and  shine 
out  among  men,  we  read  that  he  that  hath  gone  up  from  the 
earth  was  one  of  nature's  noblemen,  a  true  man,  a  brother 
indeed,  a  Christian,  patriot,  sage. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Birth — Parentage — Father's  services  under  Lord  Rodney  in  Royal 
Navy — Imminent  danger — Loss  of  the  Ramillies  in  a  storm — 
Taken  prisoner  and  carried  to  France —  After  the  close  of  the 
war,  sent  to  Canada — Connection  with  the  Canadian  Marine 
— Shipwreck  on  Lake  Ontario — Chased  by  American  vessels 
during  the  war  of  1812 — Mother's  early  Life  in  America — Inci- 
dents. 

Kev.  James  Richardson,  D.D.,  late  Bishop 
of  the  Methddist  Episcopal  Church  in  Canada, 
was  born  in  Kingston,  Upper  Canada,  Jan- 
uary 29th,  1791,  and  died  at  his  residence, 
Clover  Hill,  Toronto,  March  9th,  1875,  being 
in  the  85th  year  of  his  age,  and  51st  of  his 
ministry.  Bishop  Richardson  was  of  English 
parentage.  His  father  was  one  of  those 
"  who  went  down  to  the  sea  in  ships,  to  do 
business  in  great  waters."  Respecting  him 
the  late  Bishop  remarks  : 

*'  My  father  was  a  native  of  Lincolnshire, 
England,  and  followed  the  sea.  He  was  in 
the  Royal  Navy  attached  to  the  Ramillies,  74, 
one  of  the  fleet  under  Lord  Rodney,  in  the 


18 

West  Indies  in  1782,  and  which  after  the 
defeat  of  the  French  fleet  under  De  Grasse, 
formed  part  of  the  convoy  to  a  large  fleet  of 
merchantmen  with  the  prizes  taken  in  the 
action." 

Bishop  Carman  in  the  funeral  discourse  de- 
livered in  the  Metropolitan  Church,  Toronto, 
on  the  occasion  of  the  late  Bishop's  death,  re- 
marked on  the  same  subject  : 

"  His  father  served  under  Admiral  Rodney 
in  his  splendid  victories  over  the  French  and 
Spanish  fleets,  during  the  continuance  of  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  shared  in  that  great 
conflict  in  the  West  Indies,  on  the  12th  of 
April,  1782,  in  which  the  French  naval 
armament  under  Count  De  Grasse,  was  well 
nigh  annihilated." 

As  we  have  already  seen,  after  Lord  Rod- 
ney's victory  over  De  Grasse,  the  Ramillies, 
with  several  other  men  of  war,  set  sail  for 
England  as  a  convoy  to  the  prizes  which  had 
been  taken.  The  royal  fleet  had  successfully 
bid  defiance  to  the  shot  and  shell  of  the 
French  and  Spanish  armies,  and  had  obtain- 
ed a  decisive  victory.  They  were  now  des- 


19 

tined  to  encounter  a  more  terrible  enemy,  in 
opposition  to  whom  courage  and  military 
skill  were  unavailing.  In  relation  to  this 
Bishop  Richardson  says : 

"  Homeward  bound,  the  British  fleet  en- 
countered the  celebrated  hurricane  which 
sent  to  the  bottom  of  the  Atlantic  most  of  the 
men  of  war.  The  Ramillies  after  losing 
her  masts,  and  throwing  her  guns  overboard, 
then  in  a  sinking  condition,  buffeted  by  the 
storm  for  five  days,  went  down,  her  officers 
and  crew  happily  escaping  in  some  of  the 
merchant  vessels.  So  violent  was  this  storm 
that  the  fleet  was  separated,  while  the  crews 
of  many  of  the  vessels,  less  fortunate  than 
those  of  the  Ramillies,  went  down  with 
their  ships/' 

"  I  have  frequently  heard  my  father  relate 
the  particulars  of  the  awfully  perilous  situa- 
tion of  the  men  on  the  Ramillies,  during 
the  five  days  of  their  fearful  suspense.  Many 
were  the  expedients  resorted  to  in  order  to 
keep  the  ship  afloat  till  the  gale  should  sub- 
side. Incessant  pumping  and  other  labours 
were  continued,  at  which  old  Admiral  Greaves 


20 

himself  worked,  to  encourage  others  to  take 
their  turn." 

The  crew  of  the  Ramillies  had  however 
but  escaped  one  calamity  to  be  overtaken  by 
another,  the  merchantman  and  crew  being 
immediately  afterwards  captured  by  an 
American  frigate.  Mr.  Richardson,  the  father 
of  the  late  Bishop,  was  with  his  companions 
in  arms,  taken  to  France,  and  kept  there  till 
the  return  of  peace. 

After  his  release  in  1785,  he  came  to 
Quebec  in  the  service  of  King  George  the 
Third.  Subsequently  he  was  appointed  to 
office  in  the  Canadian  Marine  on  the  lakes 
and  rivers  in  these  provinces.  His  official 
position  in  this  service  brought  him  to  King- 
ston, where  he  afterwards  located  his  family. 
In  company  with  other  noble  pioneer  settlers 
in  Upper  Canada,  the  Richardson  family  ex- 
perienced numerous  hardships,  incident  to  a 
life  in  the  wilderness.  They  were  however 
comparatively  free  from  the  bitter  privations 
which  some  of  the  earlier  and  less  fortunate 
settlers  had  to  endure.  Mrs.  Richardson 
especially  had  to  suffer  many  discomforts. 


21 

besides  being  subject  to  much  anxiety  of 
mind,  during  the  lengthened  absence  of  her 
husband  on  the  lakes.  For  several  weeks  at 
a  time  it  would  be  impossible  for  her  to  gain 
reliable  information  concerning  him,  some- 
times months  would  intervene  before  he 
would  be  heard  from.  Those  were  the  days 
when  men  sought  wild  adventure  for  their 
country's  good,  and  women  suffered  in  silence 
and  were  strong. 

Captain  Richardson  was  fond  of  the  water 
and  preferred  to  plow  the  boisterous  billows 
with  the  keel  of  his  ship,  rather  than  encoun- 
ter the  primeval  forests,  and  use  the  "  shovel 
plow"  among  the  stumps  and  roots  of  the 
newly  cleared  lauds. 

A  few  years  after  the  termination  of  the 
American  Revolution,  the  people  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Kingston,  and  along  the  shores  of  the 
Bay  of  Quinte,  opened  up  a  trade  in  grain  with 
the  American,  soldiers  at  Fort  Oswego,  and  the 
people  of  that  part  of  the  state  of  New  York. 
Captain  Richardson  became  engaged  in  this 
trade  as  well  as  in  other  branches  of  business 
which  could  be  carried  on  upon  the  lak^s. 


The  following  brief  allusion  to  one  of  Captain 
Richardson's  trips  to  Oswego,  is  from  the  pen 
of  the  late  Bishop,  as  sent  to  the  writer  some 
years  since. 

"  The  following  incident  in  the  life  of  my 
father  serves  to  show  the  dangers  and  difficul- 
ties attendant  on  the  communication  by  water 
between  places  near  each  other,  though 
upon  opposite  sides  of  the  lake.  As  late  as 
1795  or  1796  the  American  troops  at  Fort 
Oswego  had  to  look  to  Canada  for  flour,  and 
my  father  contracted  to  furnish  a  supply  in 
the  fall  of  the  year,  just  previous  to  the 
setting  in  of  winter.  He  took  in  his  cargo, 
purchased  of  the  families  along  the  Bay  of 
Quinte,  and  sailed  for  Oswego ;  but  just  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  encountered  a  severe  wind 
which  baffled  all  attempt  at  making  harbour. 
(No  steam  power  for  navigation  purposes  in 
those  days.)  Being  driven  into  the  lake,  and 
a  furious  snow-storm  ensuing,  he  was  driven, 
after  combating  all  night  with  the  wind, 
waves,  and  snow,  into  the  mouth  of  Sandy 
Creek  and  wrecked,  being  now  between 
twenty  and  thirty  miles  east  of  Oswego. 


23 

My  father,  and  a  seaman  who  was  with  him, 
swam  to  shore,  but  here  was  only  snow  and 
woods.  No  friendly  roof  to  shelter  them,  no 
food  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of  hunger,  nor  fire 
to  warm  the  poor  benumbed  limbs,  and  no 
settlement  short  of  Oswego  to  the  north,  and 
a  reported  commencement  of  one  called  Rot- 
terdam, about  fifteen  miles  through  dense 
woods  and  swamps,  to  the  southward.  They 
first  tried  the  woods,  but  sinking  above  the 
knees  in  snow  and  slush  they  had  to  abandon 
that  route,  and  take  the  course  of  the  lake 
shore  to  Oswego,  intersected  as  it  was  by 
several  streams.  They  commenced  their 
journey,  as  already  intimated,  without  food 
or  fire. 

Providence  however  was  kind  to  them  in 
the  time  of  their  greatest  necessity,  for  on 
arriving  at  the  mouth  of  the  Salmon  River, 
twelve  or  fifteen  miles  east  of  Oswego,  they 
discovered  a  boat  with  her  crew  on  the 
opposite  side,  storm  bound  in  the  creek.  They 
called  and  were  immediately  brought  over 
and  relieved.  My  father  proceeded  with  the 
boat  to  Oswego,  as  soon  as  possible,  and  re- 


24 

ported  the  total  loss  of  his  vessel  and  cargo. 
Winter  having  now  set  in,  and  navigation 
closed  for  the  season,  he  had  no  way  left  of 
returning  home  but  by  Schenectady,  or 
Albany,  and  thence  by  lake  Champlairi  and 
Lower  Canada  to  Kingston.  His  home  was 
not  reached  before  the  month  of  February, 
My  mother  in  the  mean  time  at  Kingston,  had 
heard  nothing  of  him  further  than  that  his 
vessel  was  wrecked,  the  cargo  lost,  and  that 
he  had  reached  Salmon  River,  and  had  gone 
from  thence  to  Oswego.  Judge  of  her  anxiety, 
alone  with  her  little  family  during  those 
dreary  months,  till  my  father's  return." 

This  incident  may  be  taken  as  a  sample  of 
the  disasters  and  dangers  incident  upon 
travelling  in  those  days.  However,  Captain 
Richardson  was  not  the  man  to  be  disheart- 
ened. Having  decided  to  push  his  business 
as  vigorously  as  ever,  before  the  lake  was  free 
from  ice  in  the  spring  he  was  again  making- 
ready  for  the  lake  trade. 

Another  incident  which  will  illustrate  the 
character  of  the  man  for  courage  and  perse- 
verance, was  related  to  the  writer,  by  the  late 


25 

Bishop,  while  sailing  amid  the  scenes  of  the 
adventure. 

During  the  war  of  1812,  Captain  Richard- 
son having  been  up  Lake  Ontario  with  his 
schooner,  the  "  Simcoe,"  on  some  transport 
service,  was  passing  down,  and  when  nearing 
Kingston,  was  intercepted  by  American  war 
vessels  and  signalled  to  "  lie  to,"  an  order 
which  was  disregarded  by  the  intrepid  old 
man.  Being  determined  that  his  vessel 
should  not  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
his  first  thought  was  to  run  her  ashore  and 
burn  her,  but  while  preparing  to  carry  out 
his  intention  a  breeze  sprang  up,  and  it  being 
favorable  for  a  run  into  port,  he  proposed  to 
his  men  that  they  should  attempt  it.  The 
men  readily  acquiesced,  the  canvas  was 
crowded  on,  and  everything  arranged  with 
alacrity,  the  men  being  as  prompt  to  obey  as 
the  captain  was  to  give  the  order. 

The  Americans  were  quick  to  discover 
Richardson's  intention  of  running  past  them 
and  immediately  fired  a  shot  at  the  vessel, 
which  fortunately  did  no  harm.  The  captain 
had  given  his  men  orders  in  case  they  should 


26 

be  struck  in  the  hull,  to  be  ready  to  take 
prompt  measures  to  prevent  the  water,  as  far 
as  possible,  from  flowing  into  the  schooner. 
The  vessel  was  kept  to  her  course  in  the 
most  gallant  style,  hugging  the  shore  as  close- 
ly as  possible,  her  lighter  draught  enabling 
her  to  run  much  nearer  the  shore  than  the 
pursuing  Americans  dared  to  come.  The 
chase  was  a  hot  one ;  the  enemy  with  all 
his  canvas  spread  bearing  down  upon  the 
schooner  and  pouring  shot  after  shot  into  her 
with  fearful  effect.  The  water  was  now 
rushing  in  through  the  battered  sides  of  the 
vessel,  but  the  men  at  the  pumps  were  vigor- 
ous and  worked  with  a  will.  The  chase  was 
viewed  from  the  shore,  the  most  intense  ex- 
citement prevailing  on  every  side,  not  only 
on  account  of  the  "  Simcoe,"  but  as  to  what 
might  be  the  subsequent  course  of  the  Amer- 
icans. Soon,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  spectators 
it  was  perceived  that  Richardson  had  run  his 
vessel  past  his  assailants,  and  had  gained  a 
point  which  rendered  further  pursuit  imprac- 
ticable, the  enemy  not  daring  to  venture 
within  range  of  the  guns  of  the  fort.  And 


27 

now  amidst  the  most  enthusiastic  cheers  of 
his  anxious  friends  on  the  shore,  the  gallant 
officer  ran  his  shattered  vessel  into  port ;  and 
as  he  did  so  he  gave  the  discomfited  enemy 
a  parting  salute  by  firing  off  an  old  musket. 

Captain  Richardson  had,  however,  just 
reached  the  port  in  time.  The  vessel  was  in 
a  sinking  condition,  and  the  men  had  scarcely 
left  her  ere  she  went  down.*  We  now  turn 
our  attention  for  a  time  from  the  adventurous 
father  to  the  not  less  heroic  mother  of  the 
subject  of  this  memoir. 

Mrs.  Eichardson,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Sarah  Asmore,  was  born  in  Kingsnorton,  a 
small  but  ancient  town  not  far  from  Birming- 
ham, England.  Prior  to  the  American  Revo- 
lution, while  yet  a  young  woman,  she  came 
to  America  with  the  family  of  Mr.  John 
Stedman,  who  settled  in  the  province  of  New 
York,  on  the  banks  of  the  Niagara  River,  at 
or  near  Fort  Schlosser. 


*  Wishing  to  have  his  memory  refreshed,  the  author  wrote  to 
Dr.  Richardson  for  information  concerning  this  adventure  of  Cap- 
tain Richardson,  but  his  reply  did  not  arrive  till  after  the  above  was 
•written.  Dr.  Richardson's  account  is  however  substantially  the 
same. 


28 

We  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain  the 
precise  time  when  Mr.  Stedman  settled  above 
the  Falls,  but  he  resided  at  Fort  Schlosser 
when  Sir  William  Johnson  took  Fort  Niagara 
from  the  French  on  the  24th  of  July,  1759, 
as  will  be  seen  hereafter. 

The  fragments  of  Miss  Asmore's  history 
with  which  we  have  become  acquainted,  in- 
dicate that  she  possessed  a  vigorous  intellect, 
with  great  energy  of  character  and  courage, 
and  she  appears  also  to  have  largely  imbibed 
the  spirit  of  adventure  so  rife  in  those  days 
of  frontier  life.  It  is  now  considerably  more 
than  a  hundred  years  since  this  English 
maiden  first  heard  the  roaring  cataract,  and 
saw  its  mighty  masses  of  waters  tumbling 
and  plunging  into  the  deep  abyss  beneath, 
with  all  the  grandeur  and  sublimity  of  its 
pristine  surroundings.  We  can  imagine  the 
fair  stranger,  fresh  from  her  quiet  trans- 
atlantic home,  standing  beside  the  rapids,  as 
the  immense  sheet  of  water,  reflecting  the 
sun's  rays  like  a  mirror,  swept  with  inconceiv- 
able rapidity  before  her  vision,  without  a 
ripple  on  its  smooth  surface  until  the  mighty 


29 

flowing  flood  dashed  suddenly  over  the  Horse- 
shoe falls  down  the  deep  gorge  into  the  boil- 
ing, yawning  gulf  below,  and  went  thunder- 
ing among  those  awe-inspiring,  everlasting 
rocks,  sending  back  to  the  clouds  in  its 
fearful  leap  a  volume  of  spray,  which,  in  its 
turn  was  to  be  transformed  by  the  rays  of 
the  sun  into  the  glorious  bow  that  set  its 
signet  of  beauty  to  the  whole  scene.  The 
voice  of  many  waters  thus  sounding  in  her 
ears  may  have  reminded  her  of  the  Great 
Creator  of  the  universe  who  so  impressively 
manifested  Himself  in  His  works.  Did  she 
behold  with  rapturous  delight  the  majestic 
forests  that  fringed  the  beautiful  Niagara, 
from  Lake  Erie  to  where  the  pure  waters  of 
the  river  are  lost  in  Lake  Ontario  ?  Or  did 
the  solemn  depths  of  the  wilderness  impress 
her  with  a  sense  of  mysterious  awe  ? 

The  scenery  about  Niagara  Falls  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  years  ago  was  more 
stupendously  magnificent  than  it  is  now- 
grand  as  it  is  even  yet — for  nature  was  then 
in  her  primeval  glory ;  and  yet  the  banks  of  that 
river  with  all  their  awe-inspiring  native  gran- 


30 

deur  witnessed  scenes  of  carnage  and  bloody 
strife,  soul  sickening  in  their  details.  Here 
the  pale  face  and  the  red  man  met  in  deadly 
conflict,  the  French  and  English  leading  on 
the  European  and  Provincial  battalions,  each 
aided  by  their  savage  allies. 

The  members  of  Mr.  Stedman's  household 
were  often  the  unwilling  spectators  of  these 
encounters,  Mr.  Stedman  himself  sometimes 
taking  an  active  part  in  them.  In  conse- 
quence of  Mrs.  Richardson's  residence  in  the 
contested  border-land  during  the  French  war, 
her  mind  was  stored  with  legends  of  the  many 
appalling  deeds  of  horror  perpetrated  in  those 
times  along  the  New  York  frontier. 

Immediately  after  Sir  William  Johnson 
defeated  the  French  and  had  obtained  posses- 
sion of  Fort  Niagara,  the  British  above  the 
Falls,  on  the  New  York  side  of  the  river, 
were  anxious  to  communicate  with  him,  but 
the  woods  about  the  "  Old  Landing,"  now 
called  Levviston,were  infested  with  the  French 
soldiers  and  their  Indian  allies,  who  having 
escaped  from  Johnson  were  thirsting  for 
revenge. 


31 

The  following  item  extracted  from  the 
manuscript  of  the  late  Bishop  may  not  be  un- 
interesting to  the  reader  :  "  Some  of  these 
parental  traditions  may  not  be  out  of  place  as 
they  evince  some  of  the  features  of  those  early 
days,  and  the  life  and  death  struggles  of  those 
who  lived  on  the  then  western  frontier 
of  the  New  York  colony.  After  the  capture 
of  Fort  Niagara  by  Sir  William  Johnson,  the 
east  bank  of  the  river  was  beset  with  hordes 
of  hostile  Indians  and  French,  who  infested 
the  woods  between  Forts  Niagara  and  Schlos- 
ser, so  that  all  communication  was  inter- 
cepted for  a  time.  The  authorities  offered 
a  grant  of  the  carrying  place  or  portage,  con- 
sisting of  the  monopoly  of  the  transport  ser- 
vice and  trade,  between  the  head  of  naviga- 
tion on  the  Niagara  at  the  "  Old  Landing,"- 
Lewiston  and  Schlosser — to  any  man  who 
would  carry  a  despatch  from  Schlosser  to 
Niagara.  Mr.  Stedman  undertook  the  task 
accompanied  by  an  officer  of  the  army.  Both 
being  mounted  on  fleet  horses,  they  rode  the 
fierce  gauntlet,  the  Indians  arid  French  firing 
on  them  from  the  woods  on  either  side.  The 


32 

officer  was  shot  dead,  but  Stedman  escaped 
and  carried  the  despatch  safely  through." 
The  Indians  after  this  adventure  gave  to  Mr. 
Stedman  the  name  of  the  "Alligator,"  holding 
him  in  u  superstitious  reverence."  believing 
him  to  be  invulnerable  to  a  bullet. 

The  Bishop  continues  :  fi  Another  incident 
of  that  war,  received  by  tradition  from  my 
mother,  was  the  entire  massacre  and  destruc- 
tion of  a  detachment  of  the  British  by  the 
French  and  Indians  at  a  certain  spot  on  the 
old  river  road,  between  the  "  Old  Landing  " 
and  the  Falls,  known  to  this  day  as  the 
Devil's  Hole,  which  is  a  deep  gorge  in  the 
bank  of  the  river  over  the  head  of  which  a 
log  bridge  extended.  Here  the  enemy  lay  in 
ambush,  and  suddenly  springing  on  their  prey 
consisting  of  men,  women,  and  children,  with 
teams  and  wagons,  either  killed  or  precipitated 
them  off  the  bridge,  and  left  them  to  perish 
in  the  gorge.  The  bridge  from  this  disaster 
got  the  name  of  the  "  Bloody  Bridge." 

In  process  of  time  Miss  Asmore  was  married 
to  Lieutenant  Bryant  of  the  "  King's  Navy 
on  the  lakes  and  rivers,  designated  the  Pro- 


33 

vincial  Marine."  He  was  appointed  to  the 
command  of  a  vessel  named  the  Charity.  On 
one  occasion  the  vessel  ran  upon  a  shoal  of 
rocks  off  the  entrance  to  Carleton  Island 
channel,  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Ontario,  and  it 
was  with  much  difficulty  that  it  was  saved 
from  becoming  a  total  wreck.  The  rocks 
have  ever  since  been  known  among  lake 
navigators  as  the  u  Charity  Shoal."  "  This 
shoal  is  surrounded  by  very  deep  water, 
distant  several  miles  from  any  land,  and  is 
nearly  mid  channel  as  vessels  pass  from  the 
lake  to  the  river  St,  Lawrence.  Consequent- 
ly in  former  years  when  the  level  of  the 
water  in  the  lakes  and  rivers  was  six  or  seven 
feet  lower  than  it  has  been  at  any  time  since 
1818,  it  was  considered  a  dangerous  spot  and 
an  object  of  much  anxiety  to  sailors  passing 
that  way  in  a  dark  night  or  in  foggy  weather, 
there  being  no  beacon  or  light  by  which  to 
make  the  passage." 

"  While  my  mother  was  Mrs.  Bryant,"  the 
bishop  proceeds, "  she  resided  at  Navy  Hall,  a 
marine  barrack  on  the  margin  of  the  Niagara, 
on  the  Canadian  side,  near  the  old  Fort 

3 


34 

George.  Here  she  was  for  a  long  time 
the  only  white  woman  on  that  side  of  the 
river,  and  while  her  husband  was  away  on 
duty,  she  would  be  at  times  surrounded  by 
thousands  of  savages,  often  revelling  in 
drunkenness  and  war  dances,  it  being  the 
period  of  the  American  Revolutionary  war. 
Yet  they  seldom  troubled  her,  and  only  in 
one  instance  was  she  threatened  with  per- 
sonal violence.  She  was,  on  this  occasion, 
preparing  some  food  for  her  dinner.  Two 
Indians  entered  the  house,  and  one  of  them 
being  in  a  drunken  state,  demanded  the  food 
Mrs.  Byrant  was  cooking.  She  refused  to  give 
it  up,  whereupon  the  fellow  drew  his  knife, 
but  his  arm  was  arrested  by  his  more  sober 
companion,  who  dragged  the  offender  from 
the  house  and  led  him  away.  My  mother 
following  them  to  the  door,  and  observing  a 
captain  of  one  of  the  king's  vessels  coming 
along,  informed  against  the  Indian ;  upon 
which  the  Captain,  using  his  sword-belt  gave 
the  fellow  a  sound  beating  on  his  bare  back, 
his  companion  the  meantime  pleading  for 
mercy  on  his  behalf." 


35 

At  the  termination  of  the  revolutionary 
war  and  upon  the  return  of  peace,  the  forces 
were  reduced.  Mr.  Bryant  and  Mr.  Lyons 
who  had  served  in  the  8th  regiment  located 
on  adjacent  lands  situated  on  a  small  stream 
which  empties  its  waters  into  the  Chippawa,  a 
few  miles  from  the  place  where  the  latter  river 
empties  into  the  Niagara.  This  creek  is 
called  Lyons'  creek  to  this  day. 

Prior  to  the  location  of  their  lands  in  the 
same  vicinity,  the  families  of  Mr.  Bryant  and 
Mr.  Lyons  had  formed  an  intimate  acquaint- 
ance, and  a  friendship  sprang  up  between 
them  which  continued  without  abatement 
through  life.  Mrs.  Bryant  and  Mrs.  Lyons 
during  the  military  career  of  their  husbands, 
had  been  for  a  length  of  time  the  only  white 
women  in  that  vicinity,  so  that  they  very 
naturally  became  much  attached  to  each  other. 

The  attempt  to  make  homes  for  themselves 
at  Lyons'  creek  was  not  successful,  for  neither 
the  gallant  soldier  nor  the  fearless  sailor 
knew  much  about  clearing  land,  or  farming 
it  after  it  had  been  cleared,  and  therefore, 
the  respective  families,  during  the  time  that 


36 

they  resided  there,  endured  all  the  hardships 
incident  to  early  pioneer  life,  without  reap- 
ing any  corresponding  benefit. 

Mr.  Bryant  died  soon  after  settling  on  his 
land,  and  thus  his  wife  was  left  to  struggle 
alone  as  best  she  could  with  the  difficulties  of 
the  situation,  her  children — two  sons — being 
too  young  at  the  time  of  their  father's 
death,  to  be  anything  more  than  an  additional 
charge  to  her. 

Subsequently,  (we  are  not  furnished  with 
the  date)  Lieutenant  Richardson  was  mar- 
ried to  Mrs.  Bryant,  and  removed  to  Kings- 
ton, where  Mr.  Richardson  took  up  his  re- 
sidence. 

From  the  families  of  the  Lyons',  Bryants', 
and  Richardsons',  have  sprung  numerous  and 
respectable  descendants,  many  of  whom  have 
continued  to  make  their  homes  in  the  highly 
favored  land  of  their  birth ;  while  others  of 
them  having  removed  to  the  United  States, 
have  been  equally  esteemed  as  worthy  and 
honored  citizens  of  that  republic. 

But,  in  a  brief  memoir  like  this,  we  have 
not  space  to  enter  into  further  details  concern- 


37 

ing  the  courage,  heroism,  and  persistent  en- 
durance of  the  elder  Mr.  Richardson  and  his 
wife,  and  their  more  intimate  connections. 
Interesting  as  further  particulars  might  be, 
we  are  compelled  to  turn  from  the  exploits  of 
the  parent  to  those  of  the  son. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Promising  Childhood — Moral  and  Religious  Training — Fondness 
for  the  water — Attention  to  navigation  and  topography  of  our 
lake  and  river  shores  and  channels — Enters  the  service — 
His  character — Receives  a  commission  in  1812 — Changes  in 
1813 — Continues  in  the  service — Unsuccessful  attempt  on  Sack- 
ett's  Harbour — An  expedition — Treachery — Burning  of  "  Big 
Sodus  " — Battle  of  Oswego — Loss  of  his  arm — Subsequent  dis- 
aster— Commendatory  notice — Sir  James  L.  Yeo's  certificate. 

The  young  James  Richardson  from  his  child- 
hood gave  pleasing  promise  of  both  a  comely 
and  a  brave  manhood.  He  possessed  an  erect 
frame,  and  an  open,  handsome  countenance. 
And  it  was  early  evident  that  he  was  also 
endowed  with  a  clear  and  strong  intellect, 
which  his  parents  were  desirous  he  should 
cultivate  and  store  with  useful  knowledge ; 
therefore  they  gave  him  the  benefit  of  such 
opportunities  for  acquiring  an  education  as 
the  country  then  afforded. 

His  father  and  mother  were  members  of  the 
Church  of  England,  and  his  early  religious 
impressions  were  received  from  that  body, 

38 


strengthened  by  home  training  and  instruc- 
tion ;  love  of  truth  and  honesty,  and  a  sense 
of  honor  and  of  duty  were  engraved  upon  his 
heart  long  before  he  made  a  public  profession 
of  experimental  religion.  His  reverence  for 
the  Bible,  and  for  the  gospel  truths  contained 
therein  never  wavered,  even  when  exposed  to 
the  temptations  incident  to  a  military  life. 
Moral  integrity  and  manly  dignity  were 
marked  features  in  his  long  and  eventful 
career. 

His  regular  school-life,  which  he  used  to 
advantage,  making  creditable  progress,  for  his 
age,  closed  when  he  was  about  thirteen  years 
old ;  but  having  a  fixed  purpose  to  increase  his 
stock  of  knowledge,  he  devoted  himself  as  cir- 
cumstances permitted  to  useful  study,  and  thus 
became  familiar  with  the  best  works  on  the- 
ology and  general  literature  to  be  found 
in  the  language. 

Inheriting  his  father's  fondness  for  the  water, 
and  perhaps  also  his  love  of  adventure,  he  com- 
menced his  career  as  a  sailor  in  1804,  going  out 
in  his  father's  vessel.  Captain  Richardson 
being  an  experienced  seaman,  and  the  youthful 


40 

James  being  anxious  to  excel  in  the  art  of  navi- 
gation, made  such  good  use  of  his  time  and  op- 
portunities that  he  was  early  qualified  to  take 
a  prominent  position  under  his  father.  In  this 
way  he  became  thoroughly  acquainted  with  all 
the  points  of  interest  on  Lake  Ontario,  especi- 
ally with  those  places  where  navigation  was 
dangerous.  The  knowledge  thus  acquired,  en- 
abled him  in  after  years  not  only  to  be  of  ser- 
vice to  his  father  in  their  own  business  trans- 
actions, but  to  render  efficient  aid  to  his  coun- 
try in  her  hour  of  perilous  need. 

Five  years  apprenticeship  with  his  father 
had  made  young  Richardson  thoroughly  con- 
versant with  the  topography  of  the  lakes  and 
rivers.  The  dangerous  harbor  entrances,  the 
rocks,  channels,  and  shoals  belonging  to  these 
waters,  were  as  familiar  to  him  as  the  .streets 
of  his  native  town  are  to  a  landsman.  There- 
fore desirous  of  rising  in  his  profession,  he, 
with  his  father's  concurrence,  in  1809,  enter- 
ed the  Provincial  Marine,  being  then  but 
eighteen  years  of  age. 

About  this  time  he  suffered,  in  the  death  of 
his  mother,  the  first  great  sorrow  of  his  life. 


This  was  a  great  bereavement  to  the  whole 
family.  To  James  it  was  especially  so,  at 
this  critical  period  in  his  career,  when,  being 
no  longer  under  his  father's  watchful  care, 
he  so  much  needed  the  Counsels  and  admo- 
nitions of  a  mother.  His  parents  had  early 
implanted  in  his  heart  the  principles  of  integ- 
rity and  honor,  and  these  with  the  natural  good 
sense  of  the  young  man  proved  a  safeguard 
against  the  temptations  to  which  his  position 
exposed  him.  The  firmness  of  his  principles 
was  manifested  by  his  subsequent  conduct. 

After  his  entrance  into  the  Provincial  Ma- 
rine service,  his  strict  obedience  to  orders, 
coupled  with  his  excellent  moral  character 
and  gentlemanly  bearing,  gained  for  him  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  the  officers  and  men. 
The  estimation  in  which  his  trustworthiness 
and  skill  in  lake  navigation  were  held,  was 
evinced  upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of 
1812,  between  the  American  and  British  gov- 
ernments ;  when  he  being  but  twenty -one,  re- 
ceived a  Lieutenant's  commission  in" the  Pro- 
vincial Marine,  in  which  capacity  he  served 
his  King  and  country  with  great  fidelity  and 
efficiency. 


4-2 

A  change  was  however  at  hand  in  the 
management  of  this  department  of  the  service. 

With  respect  to  this  change  the  Bishop 
says  : 

"  From  some  mistrust  that  our  Provincial 
Marine  would  not  be  adequate  to  the  increas- 
ing emergencies  of  the  war,  application  was 
made  to  the  Admiralty  of  England  for  aid 
from  the  Royal  Navy.  Accordingly,  in  the 
winter  of  1813,  Captain  Barclay,  accompanied 
by  Commodores  Downie  and  Pring,  Lieuten- 
ant Scott  and  a  few  warrant  officers  and  sail- 
ors, was  despatched  from  Halifax  across  the 
wilderness,  through  storms,  frosts  and  snow- 
drifts to  Quebec,  thence  to  Kingston,  where 
they  arrived  in  April,  weather  beaten,  ex- 
hausted and  almost  '  done  up.'  Captain 
Barclay  took  command,  till  the  arrival  in 
May  of  Sir  James  L.  Yeo  with  500  officers 
and  men  direct  from  England. 

"  I  had  the  honor  to  be  despatched  by  Capt. 
Barclay,  with  the  gunboat "  Black  Snake,"  to 
meet  Sir  James  with  his  flotilla  of  unarmed 
Canadian  batteaux  and  escorted  him  up  the 
river,  along  the  frontier  of  the  enemy,  to 


43 

Kingston,  where  with  the  rear  division  under 
Captain  Mulcaster,  we  arrived  unmolested  in 
the  latter  part  of  May,  1813. 

"  The  naval  armament  on  the  lakes  now 
assumed  a  new  character  and  position — no 
longer  "  Provincial  "  nor  subject  to  the  Quar- 
ter Master  General,  but  a  part  and  dependency 
of  the  Royal  Navy.  Our  Provincial  com- 
missions were  of  no  force  or  effect  in  the  new 
relation  ;  yet,  because  of  our  local  knowledge 
and  experience,  our  services  were  desirable, 
and  particularly  required  by  our  new  Com- 
mander ;  none  however,  of  the  commissioned 
officers  on  Lake  Ontario  consented  to  remain, 
except  Lieutenant  George  Smith  and  myself. 
I  told  the  Commodore,  that  if  my  services 
were  of  any  avail  they  were  at  his  command, 
only  I  would  not  take  any  rank  inferior  to 
that  I  held  in  the  Provincial  Marine.  He 
remarked  that  the  rules  of  the  service  pre- 
cluded my  relation  as  a  Lieutenant  among 
them,  but  he  would  be  hippy  to  have  my 
services  as  a  Master,  and  would  rate  me 
accordingly  ;  this,  while  it  gave  me  rank  in 
the  "  gun-room."  with  the  commissioned 


44 

officers,  would  be  appropriate  to  the  discharge 
of  the  twofold  duty  of  master  and  pilot.  In 
this  highly  responsible  relation  I  continued  to 
serve  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  during  the  re- 
mainder ot  the  war,  and  for  some  time  after ; 
sharing  in  the  fatigues,  dangers  and  exploits  of 
the  campaigns  of  1813  and  1814." 

Though  the  changes  made  by  Sir  James 
Yeo,  in  removing  those  officers  who  had  pre- 
viously commanded  the  Provincial  Marine, 
and  supplying  their  places  with  officers  fresh 
from  England,  had  given  so  great,  and  to 
some  extent,  just  offence,  that  these  officers, 
with  the  exceptions  named  in  the  foregoing 
extract,  refused  to  co-operate  with  the  Admi- 
ral, yet  their  annoyance  at  this  step  did  not 
diminish  their  loyalty,  or  their  attachment 
to  the  Crown,  nor  their  desire  for  the  ulti- 
mate triumph  of  the  British  arms.  They 
however  conceived  it  to  be  exceedingly  inju- 
dicious to  set  aside  officers  who  understood 
their  men  and  were  respected  by  them,  and 
who  were  familiar  with  the  waters  on  which 
they  were  to  operate,  with  all  the  dangers  to 
be  guarded  against,  and  all  the  safe  harbours 


45 

to  be  found  on  their  shores,  and  who  were 
also  well  acquainted  with  the  characteristics 
and  peculiar  tactics  of  those  with  whom  they 
were  contending ;  while  those  who  were  to 
supersede  them  were  necessarily  ignorant  of 
these  things.  To  them  the  whole  proceeding 
indicated  a  want  of  appreciation,  on  the  part 
of  the  authorities,  of  the  valuable  services 
they  had  been  rendering  to  the  country,  nor 
is  it  at  all  surprising  that  they  were  somewhat 
sensitive. 

Lieutenant  Richardson,  though  sharing  the 
sentiments  of  his  brother  officers,  was  actu- 
ated by  higher  considerations  than  merely 
his  own  individual  importance;  he  therefore, 
as  we  have  seen,  acceded  to  the  request  of  the 
commodore,  and  continued  in  the  service. 

The  campaign  of  1813  opened  with  the  un- 
successful attempt  on  Sackett's  Harbour.  As 
Mr.  Richardson  was  with  the  fleet  on  this  ill- 
starred  expedition,  we  will  give  the  account 
of  it  in  his  own  words  : 

"  The  failure  of  the  expedition  against 
Sackett's  Harbour,  under  the  immediate  com- 
mand of  the  General-in-Chief,  Sir  George 


46 

Provost,  which  opened  the  campaign  of  1813 
is  wholly  inexplicable.  Why  were  the  troops 
not  landed  in  the  forenoon  of  the  day  of  our 
appearance  off  the  place,  when  the  wind  and 
weather  and  every  other  circumstance  were 
favorable,  with  no  enemy  at  the  landing  place, 
to  oppose  ?  Respecting  this  I  had  the  honor 
of  being  consulted.  The  men  were  in  the 
boats,  the  anchors  ready  to  be  dropped,  the 
spot  pointed  out  and  reached ;  when  instead 
of  proceeding  to  land  and  taking  the  place, 
(which  probably  could  have  been  effected 
without  losing  five  lives)  they  were  ordered 
to  re-embark,  the  ships  hauled  to  the  wind, 
and  made  to  stand  off  till  midnight.  Then, 
in  the  dark,  at  the  distance  of  several  miles, 
the  men  were  put  into  the  boats,  and  ordered 
to  find  their  way  to  the  same  anchoring 
place,  abreast  of  which  they  had  been  in  the 
morning,  the  best  way  they  could.  In  the 
meantime  the  enemy  had  posted  themselves, 
prepared  to  give  our  brave  men  a  warm 
reception  ,  besides  they  had  been  fortifying 
their  position  in  their  works,  and  had  been 
receiving  large  reinforcements,  by  land  and 


47 

water  during  the  day.  Why  then,  after  sev- 
eral hours  of  hard  fighting  and  great  sacrifice 
of  life  and  limb,  the  enemy  driven  from  their 
works  and  in  the  act  of  abandoning  the  place, 
in  despair  had  actually  set  fire  to  their  own 
navy -yard  and  store- houses,  a  retreat  was 
sounded,  the  troops  ordered  to  re-embark,  and 
the  dead,  with  some  of  the  wounded,  left  to 
the  enemy,  is  a  question  which  remains  to 
this  day  a  mystery. 

I  heard  one  of  our  brave  colonels,  as  he 
came  up  the  ship's  side,  indignantly  ex- 
claim :  "  Oh,  if  he  would  but  give  me  my 
own  regiment,  I  would  yet  land  again  and 
take  the  place."  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 
"In  the  month  of  July,  1813,  the  Americans 
having  launched  and  fitted  out  two  ships — the 
'  Pike '  and  the  '  Madison,' — had  them  at 
anchor  outside  the  point  forming  the  en- 
trance of  Sackett's  Harbour.  Commodore 
Yeo  therefore  conceived  the  idea  of  a  '  cut- 
out/ by  stealing  a  march  on  them  in  the 
night  with  a  number  of  armed  boats  manned 
by  expert  seamen,  and  aided  by  a  detachment 
of  the  100th  regiment  under  command  of 


48 

Major  Hamilton,  and  a  few  marines.  Ac- 
cordingly, we  left  Kingston  harbour  about 
five  o'clock  p.m.,  expecting  to  reach  the  ships 
before  daylight  next  morning,  the  distance 
being  about  forty  miles  across  the  inlets, 
and  along  the  shore  at  the  eastern  extrem- 
ity of  Lake  Ontario.  Such,  however,  was 
the  sluggishness  of  some  of  the  gunboats, 
propelled  by  oars,  that  notwithstanding  the 
calmness  of  the  night,  the  day  began  to  dawn 
as  we  rounded  the  point  which  opened  out 
the  ships  at  anchor  about  eight  miles  distant. 
It  would  not  answer  to  approach  them  in  open 
daylight,  and  to  attempt  a  retreat  would  have 
been  equally  fatal,  for  they  might  have  over- 
hauled and  blown  us  to  atoms.  No  expedient 
therefore  was  left  us  but  to  hide  in  some 
nook  or  corner  of  the  shore,  which  was  then 
covered  with  a  dense  wood,  and  lie  concealed 
if  possible  till  the  following  night.  Our  Com- 
modore therefore  proceeded  ahead  to  search, 
and  found  such  a  place  about  two  miles  up 
Hungry  Bay  to  which  we  retired,  and  having 
laid  the  boats  broadside  to  the  beach  of  a 
shallow  bend  in  the  shore,  we  cut  saplings  and 


bushes  and  placed  them  in   the    water   out- 
side the  boats,  which  were  thus  tolerably  well 
screened.     Our    force   numbered    about    700 
officers  and  men,  and  strict  orders  were  given 
not  to  kindle  any  fire,  or  raise  a  smoke,  or  dis- 
charge any  firearms  whatever,  but  to  keep 
quietly  concealed  in  the  woods  till  the    re- 
turning darkness    should    favor  our    design. 
During  the  day  boats  passed,  and  the  enemy's 
armed  schooners  continued  tacking  to  and  fro 
between  us  and  the  open  lake  but  failed  to 
discover  us,  which  had  they  done,  we  would 
doubtless  have  had  our  boats  destroyed  and 
ourselves  left  fugitives  in  an  enemy's  land, 
which    was   covered    with    forest    trees    for 
several   miles    on    either   hand.      We    were 
destitute  of  fire-arms,  for  these,  except  a  few 
the  troops  had,  we  were   not   permitted   to 
bring,  having  to  depend  on  our  swords,  cut- 
lasses, boarding  axes  and  boarding  pikes  for  the 
execution  of  the  work.     In  such  a  dilemma 
as  that  our  ingenuity  would  have  been  fully 
tested,  but  happily  it  was  not  put  to  the  trial. 
We  escaped  the  notice  of  the  enemy,  but  alas ! 
not  the  treachery  of  some  of  our  own  party. 


50 

It  was  some  time  after  we  had  made  good  our 
landing  in  the  woods  before  muster  roll  was 
called,  when  a  sergeant  and  a  private  of  the 
hundredth  were  missing,  search  was  made  in 
the  woods  without  avail,  and  it  became  evident 
that  they  had  taken  themselves  off,  but  as 
there  was  no  house  within  ten  or  twelve  miles 
and  they  were  strangers  in  the  country  hopes 
were  entertained  that  they  would  not  be  able 
to  betray  us  before  night-fall.  Our  Commo- 
dore was  evidently  much  exercised  in  mind 
through  the  day  lest  his  enterprise  should  be 
baffled,  and  conversed  with  me,  as  having 
more  local  knowledge  of  those  parts,  relative 
to  the  practicability  of  their  finding  their  way 
to  some  inhabitant  and  thus  giving  the  alarm. 
Just  before  sundown  one  of  the  armed  schoon- 
ers which  had  been  standing  off  and  on 
between  us  and  the  lake,  was  observed  to  stand 
to  the  shore  along  which  we  were  concealed, 
about  a  mile  to  the  westward  between  us  and 
the  point  round  which  we  had  come.  Here. 
having  anchored  close  to  the  shore,  she  sent 
her  boat  ashore  and  when  it  returned  she 
fired  an  alarm  gun  and  made  sail  for  Sackett's 


51 

Harbour.  We  had  no  doubt  the  villianous 
deserters  had  shown  themselves  on  the  beach, 
and  that  she  had  taken  them  on  board,  which 
proved  to  be  the  case.  The  chagrin  and  dis- 
appointment caused  by  this  betray  aland  con- 
sequent failure  of  the  scheme,  within  a  few 
hours  of  what  otherwise  would  probably  have 
been  its  successful  termination,  may  be  con- 
ceived. We  all  felt  sorely,  but  Commodore 
Yeo  could  scarcely  contain  himself. 

Nothing  could  now  be  done  but  to  seek  our 
safe  retreat.  So  soon  as  night  set  in,  we 
were  ordered  to  embark,  and  pulling  into  the 
offing  got  sight  of  the  ships  which  were  fully 
lighted  up  and  prepared  to  give  us  a  warm  re- 
ception. Should  we  have  had  the  audacity  to 
make  the  attack,  they  could  no  doubt  have 
sunk  us  as  we  carne  alongside.  Orders  were 
then  given  to  pull  for  the  Canadian  side  and 
make  good  our  retreat.  At  day  break  next 
morning,  we  saw  the  American  squadron  off 
the  point  under  full  sail  after  us,  but  the  wind 
was  so  light  during  the  night  that  they  did 
not  come  up." 

"  The  following  incident  which   occurred 


52 

during  the  summer  of  1813,  may  be  worthy 
of  notice.  Our  Commodore  in  absence  of 
something  to  fight,  proceeded  to  inspect  the 
enemy's  coasts  and  harbours,  in  search  of 
provisions  and  stores,  which  when  taken 
would  replenish  us.  while  it  despoiled  them. 
Being  informed  that  the  United  States  had  a 
large  stock  of  flour  deposited  at  the  village  of 
Big  Sodus,  about  thirty  miles  westward  of 
Oswego,  he  brought  his  squadron  to  anchor 
and  towards  evening  sent  in  the  boats  with  a 
few  sailors  and  marines,  and  a  detachment  of 
about  60  of  the  '  Royals.'  It  became  dark 
before  we  made  the  landing,  and  an  advance 
of  15,  of  which  I  was  one,  commanded  by  Capt. 
Mulcaster,  proceeded  at  once  to  the  village, 
under  the  guidance  of  one  acquainted  with 
the  place.  We  found  the  houses  deserted, 
and  not  a  person  to  be  seen,  but  one  in  a 
tavern  so  drunk  that  we  could  get  no  infor- 
mation from  him.  After  searching  in  vain 
for  the  inhabitants,  during  which  strict 
orders  were  given  not  to  molest  any  furniture 
or  articles  of  private  property,  and  while  our 
Captain  was  consulting  as  to  future  proceed- 


53 

ings,  it  being  very  dark,  some  one  hailed. us 
from  some  bushes  close  by.  Captain  Mulcas- 
ter  answered  '  friend/  but  before  the  word 
was  fully  out  they  fired  a  volley  which  felled 
5  of  our  15.  They  then  took  themselves  off. 
The  detachment  of  the  (  Royals  '  coming  up 
in  our  rear  and  hearing  the  firing,  took  us 
for  the  enemy,  and  also  discharged  a  few 
shots  at  us  before  the  mistake  was  discovered. 
Capt.  Wilson  of  the  '  Royals/  who  was  among 
the  15  in  advance,  wore  a  peculiarly  shaped 
cocked  hat,  which  a  flash  of  lightning  just  at 
that  moment,  happily  for  our  party,  revealed, 
and  showed  the  officer  of  the  detachment  in 
the  rear  who  we  were.  Thus  in  all  probabi- 
lity the  shape  of  a  cocked  hat  saved  some 
valuable  lives.  The  enemy  was  no  more 
seen  during  the  night,  except  some  stragglers 
who  towards  morning  came  within  our  lines 
and  were  arrested.  On  being  questioned  as 
to  the  firing,  and  where  the  inhabitants  of 
the  village  were,  they  said  it  was  the  inhabi- 
tants themselves  that  had  fired  ;  that  on  the 
approach  of  the  ships  in  the  evening  a  consul- 
tation was  held  in  the  village,  and  while  some 


54 

would  have  remained  quietly  at  home  under 
the  conviction  that  they  would  not  be  molest- 
ed, the  majority  decided  to  arm  themselves, 
disappear,  and  fire  on  us,  some  remarking 
that  they  would  thus  have  the  satisfaction  of 
killing  some  of  the  British  anyway. 

This  word  being  sent  to  the  Commodore, 
he  ordered  the  place  to  be  burnt  as  a  warning 
to  all  others  along  the  coast.  The  prisoners 
being  liberated  they  were  instructed  to  say 
that  wherever  we  came,  if  the  inhabitants 
remained  quiet,  private  property  and  rights 
would  be  respected  ;  but  in  all  cases  where 
the  people  made  an  armed  resistance  and 
wantonly  fired  on  us,  they  might  expect  to 
be  punished  in  like  manner.  This  was  a 
painful  occurrence.  Both  the  occasion  and 
its  result  caused  me  distressing  feelings. 
How  far  the  Commodore  was  justified  by  the 
rules  of  war,  the  public  must  judge,  but  that 
it  was  not  a  wanton  and  unprovoked  act,  as 
some  have  represented  it,  I  am  witness,  inas- 
much as  till  this  word  came  from  their  own 
people — the  said  prisoners, — strict  orders 
were  given  to  respect  private  property,  and 


55 

even  when  an  order  was  given  to  burn 
the  place,  pillage  was  forbidden.  All  we  got 
for  our  visit  was  about  500  barrels  of  flour, 
found  in  a  storehouse.  I  have  since  conversed 
with  an  American  gentleman  who  was  at 
the  place  at  the  time,  and  who  stated  that 
about  3,000  barrels  of  flour  belonging  to  the 
United  States  were  there  concealed  in  the 
woods,  which  the  darkness  of  the  night 
covered  from  our  view." 

"  In  the  spring  of  1814  word  having 
reached  our  Commodore,  Sir  James  L.  Yeo. 
that  a  large  number  of  boats  were  at  the 
mouth  of  Oswego  River,  laden  with  cannon 
and  naval  stores  for  the  fitting  out  of  the  two 
frigates  then  being  built  at  Sackett's  Harbour ; 
an  expedition  was  ordered  for  the  capture  of 
the  Fort  at  that  place,  now  named  '  Fort 
Ontario,'  then  known  as  '  Fort  Oswego.' 
Our  squadron  consisting  of  the  Prince  Regent, 
60  guns,  Princess  Charlotte,  32  guns,  Wolf,  20 
guns,  Royal  George,  20  guns,  Moira,  16  guns, 
Melleville,  16  guns,  and  Netley,  12  guns,  with 
detachments  of  troops  from  the  '  Royals/ 
1  Glengarry  Fencibles,'  and  other  corps  left 


56 

Kingston  on  the  4th  May,  and  arrived  off 
Oswego,  the  5th ;  but  owing  to  a  heavy 
squall  of  wind  they  were  obliged  to  haul  off 
and  delay  the  attack  till  next  day.  In  the 
morning  of  the  6th  orders  were  given  the 
Wolf  (subsequently  named  the  Montreal,)  to 
stand  in  and  take  a  position  under  the  fort,  to 
cover  and  assist  the  landing  of  the  troops. 
The  charge  of  conducting  her  to  her  anchorage 
among  the  rocks  and  shoals  that  environ  the 
entrance  to  that  river,  devolved  on  me.  Not 
without  some  degree  of  diffidence  did  I  per- 
form the  task,  for  not  since  I  was  a  lad  had  I 
been  there,  and  then  only  in  small  vessels 
with  very  light  draft  of  water.  I  resolved 
however  on  doing  my  best  though  sensible  of 
the  weighty  responsibility  resting  on  me.  I 
succeeded  in  attaining  the  desired  position  to 
the  satisfaction  of  both  my  Captain,  Stephen 
•Popham,  and  Commodore  Yeo ;  who  were 
pleased  to  commend  my  conduct  in  their 
official  despatches. 

Our  ship  had  rather  a  warm  berth  after  the 
gunners  of  the  Fort  obtained  the  range,  every 


57 

shot  telling  on  some  part  of  her,  a  fixed  object 
at  anchor.  The  shots  with  which  they  com- 
plimented us  were  evidently  hot,  for  they  set 
our  ship  on  fire  three  times.  One  of  them 
made  so  free  with  me,  as  to  carry  off  my  left 
arm  just  below  the  shoulder,  which  rendered 
amputation  at  the  socket  joint  necessary. 

Our  position  was  attained  before  the  troops 
were  ready  to  land,  the  other  vessels  keeping 
in  the  offing,  so  that  we  alone  for  some  time 
had  to  sustain  the  fire  from  the  fort.  The 
"Melleville/  brig,  and  the  schooner  "Netley," 
at  length  came  within  range  of  the  batteries, 
to  our  assistance.  In  the  mean  while,  the 
troops  with  some  sailors  and  marines  having 
effected  a  landing,  marched  directly  up  the 
hill  and  scaled  the  fort  under  a  galling  fire 
from  the  enemy  which  cut  down  a  goodly 
number  of  our  brave  fellows,  officers  and  men. 

Among  the  wounded  was  the  gallant  Cap- 
tain William  Mulcaster,  of  the  4%  Princess 
Charlotte,"  who  received  a  musket  shot  in  the 
abdomen,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  never 
recovered  though  he  survived  for  several  years. 
He  was  honoured  with  the  notice  and  confi- 


58 

dence  of  his  late  majesty,  William  IV.,  who 
placed  him  on  his  staff,  as  aid-de-camp  at  his 
court. 

As  our  forces  entered  the  fort  in  front,  the 
enemy  abandoned  it  in  the  rear.  But  although 
the  victory  was  thus  gallantly  achieved,  and 
the  fort  reduced  ;  the  object  sought  by  the  ex- 
pedition was  not  attained.  The  flotilla  of 
boats  laden  with  the  arms  and  stores  men- 
tioned, with  the  exception  of  one,  was  ten 
miles  up  the  river  beyond  our  reach,  and  our 
force  was  not  sufficient  to  penetrate  the 
country  ;  therefore,  with  this  one  exception, 
and  some  military  and  other  public  stores 
which  fell  into  our  hands,  nothing  was  gained 
worth  the  sacrifice. 

The  fort  after  being  reduced  and  dismantled 
was  abandoned  in  the  evening,  our  troops 
retiring  at  their  leisure — not  "  driven  away 
with  loss."  as  some  of  the  American  chronicles 
have  it  recorded. 

There  is  rather  a  painful  sequel  to  the 
history  of  the  pursuit  of  this  said  flotilla. 
Our  Commodore  failing  to  find  them  as  ex- 
pected at  the  mouth  of  the  Oswego  river,  kept 


59 

on  the  watch  and  blockaded  the  place  for 
several  weeks,  to  nab  them  on  their  emerging 
from  the  river ;  well  knowing,  that  unless 
they  could  gain  the  lake  the  cannon  and  naval 
stores  they  contained  could  not  reach  the  ships 
at  Sackett's  Harbour  ior  which  they  were  des- 
tined ;  the  road  through  that  part  of  the  state 
being  insufficient  for  the  transport  of  such 
heavy  stores.  But  after  the  lapse  of  some 
months  the  vigilance  of  the  blockade  probably 
having  relaxed,  and  the  Americans  being  on 
the  alert,  they  stole  a  march,  one  foggy  mght 
and  morning,  and  got  several  miles  down  the 
coast  before  being  discovered.  Captains  Pop- 
ham  and  Spilsbury,  with  some  armed  boats 
being  on  the  lookout,  intercepted  and  took  one 
of  the  American  boats  in  the  fog,  and  were  in- 
formed by  the  prisoners  taken  in  it,  that  the 
other  American  boats  had  entered  "Big  Sandy 
Creek"  but  they  omitted  to  inform  their  cap- 
tors that  the  boats  were  strongly  guarded  by 
a  body  of  riflemen  and  Oneida  Indians. 

Captain  Popham  being  in  command,  im- 
mediately, with  more  bravery  than  prudence, 
pushed  in  after  them  ;  and  after  ascending  the 


60 

creek  between  high  banks  %f  sand  on  either 
hand,  and  proceeding  about  ten  miles,  he  dis- 
covered the  boats,  snugly  moored  with  their 
precious  cargoes,  in  a  kind  of  basin  formed  by 
a  bend  in  the  creek.  Not  a  soul  was  visible 
near  them,  and  they  seemed  a  bon  prize.  But 
alas !  just  as  they  were  grasping  them,  up 
started  from  their  concealment  among  the 
woods  and  rushes  the  riflemen  and  Indians, 
who  opened  a  murderous  fire  on  our  poor 
fellows,  cooped  up  like  ducks  in  a  pond. 
The  result  was  the  destruction  or  capture  of 
the  whole  body,  so  that  not  one  escaped  to 
make  the  report.  Those  who  survived  were 
kept  prisoners  of  war  till  the  return  of  peace 
the  ensuing  spring. 

Lieutenant  Rowe,  now  residing  near 
Cobourg,  must  be  conversant  with  this  inci- 
dent in  the  history  of  our  warfare  on  the 
Lakes ;  as  he  was  one  of  the  unfortunates 
captured.  And  yet,  not  so  very  unfortunate 
either,  as  regards  himself,  for  I  understand 
that  while  detained  a  prisoner  in  New  Eng- 
land, he  formed  the  acquaintance  of  the 
estimable  lady  who,  as  the  wife  of  his  bosom, 


61 

has  since  shared  his  fortunes  and  sympathies, 
in  this  the  country  of  their  adoption. 

I  think  it  fortunate  for  me  that  my  wound 
at  Oswego  had  previously  laid  me  up  in  sick 
quarters  ;  for  had  I  been  fit  for  duty,  the 
probability  is  that  I  would  have  been  ordered 
with  my  captain,  (Popham)  on  the  ill-fated 
expedition." 

The  read  er  will  have  observed  how  briefly 
Mr.  Richardson  has  noticed  his  own  wound, 
notwithstanding  its  serious  character ;  put- 
ting aside  what  he  regarded  as  merely  per- 
sonal, he  proceeds  to  give  the  issue  of  the 
battle.  When  the  gallant  young  officer  was 
struck,  he  dropped  on  the  deck  and  was 
shortly  after  carried  down  into  the  sides  of 
the  ship.  The  remnant  of  his  mangled  arm 
was  secured  so  as  to  prevent  the  sufferer  from 
bleeding  to  death,  and  there  he  lay  suffering 
while  the  battle  raged,  his  ears  filled  with  its 
horrid  din,  and  his  mind  oppressed  with 
anxiety  as  to  its  result,  till  the  cheers  of  the 
victors  informed  him  that  his  gallant  com- 
rades had  triumphed.  He  had  been  wounded 
in  the  morning,  and  it  was  nearly  evening 


62 

before  the  surgeon  could  attend  to  him,  when 
it  was  found  necessary  to  remove  the  shatter- 
ed stump  from  the  socket  at  the  shoulder 
joint.  During  the  severe  operation  the  young 
lieutenant  evinced  the  utmost  fortitude. 

In  the  evening  he  was  exceedingly  weak 
from  loss  of  blood,  the  pain  of  his  wound, 
and  the  severity  of  the  operation.  Next  day 
the  fever  was  high,  and  for  some  days  his 
life  apparently  hung  in  the  balance ;  but  at 
length  he  commenced  to  rally  and  by  the 
blessing  of  God  upon  the  skilful  attention 
and  great  care  that  he  received,  he  was  finally 
fully  restored. 

Concerning  this  event  the  late  Bishop  in  a 
letter  to  the  writer,  a  few  years  since,  remark- 
ed :  "I  did  not  fully  recover  from  the  wound 
till  the  following  September,  when  I  reported 
myself  to  Sir  James  Yeo  as  fit  for  service, 
and  proposed  to  go  out  again. 

He  pleasantly  remarked.  u  What !  try  them 
again  ?" 

I  replied,  "  If  my  services  are  required." 

He  exclaimed,  "  That  is  noble." 

"  He  then  proposed  that  instead  of  joining 


63 

my  own  ship  the  '  Wolf,'  he  would  prefer 
taking  me  with  him  in  the  St.  Lawrence — a 
ship  of  110  guns — to  aid  in  piloting  her,  in- 
asmuch as  her  draft  of  water,  23  feet,  so  far  ex- 
ceeded that  of  any  former  vessel  in  the  lake  ; 
it  would  therefore  require  the  more  caution 
and  matured  knowledge  of  the  channels  to 
conduct  her  safely.  He  remarked  that  my 
severe  wound  and  consequent  debility  for 
some  time  yet,  precluded  the  lull  discharge 
of  my  active  duties  in  my  own  ship,  but  if  I 
gave  my  services  in  the  St.  Lawrence,  as  he 
proposed,  he  would  continue  my  substitute 
in  the  Wolf  during  the  remainder  of  the 
season  ;  and  then  at  the  close  of  navigation 
I  would  be  at  liberty  through  the  winter  to 
recruit  my  strength."  Mr.  Richardson  was 
accordingly  attached  to  the  St.  Lawrence 
He  remarks ; — 

"  She.  the  St.  Lawrence,  took  the  lake  in 
October,  1814,  and  made  two  trips  up  and 
down  previous  to  the  setting  in  of  winter 
without  the  chance  of  trying  her  prowess, 
with  the  enemy.  He  very  prudently  kept 
himself  close  in  harbour,  so  that  for  the  re- 


64 

mainder  of  the  season,  which  terminated  the 
war,  our  proud  ship  and  squadron  had  the 
lake  wholly  to  themselves.  Peace  was  pro- 
claimed in  the  winter  of  1815,  at  which  event 
the  really  patriotic  people  of  both  countries 
rejoiced." 

Some  time  after  the  close  of  the  war, 
Lieutenant  Richardson  retired  from  the  Navy, 
having  decided  to  give  up  the  water,  and 
procure  a  home  for  himself  in  some  retired 
place,  where  he  hoped  to  spend  his  days  in 
comfort.  But  that  he  should  devote  himself 
to  the  pursuits  of  a  retired  life,  was  not  the 
purpose  of  the  Master  concerning  him.  He 
has  repeatedly  stated  to  the  writer  of  this 
memoir,  his  own  conviction  that  God  had  a 
work  for  him  to  do,  and  that  therefore  He  had 
ordered  his  paths  otherwise  than  he  had 
designed,  and  changed  the  whole  course  of 
his  life. 

In  the  disbursements  made  by  the  Loyal 
and  Patriotic  Society  for  1815,  we  have  the 
sum  of  £100  allotted  to  Mr.  James  Richard- 
son  of  the  Midland  District  with  the  follow- 
ing note  appended.  "  This  gentleman  was 


65 

first  in  the  Provincial  Navy,  and  behaved 
well.  He  then  became  principal  pilot  of  the 
Royal  Fleet,  and  by  his  uncommonly  good 
conduct  gained  the  esteem  of  all  the  officers 
of  the  Navy.  He  lost  his  left  arm  at  the 
taking  of  Oswego.  The  Society  in  consider- 
ation of  his  services  requested  his  acceptance 
of  £100." 

He  was  also  awarded  a  yearly  pension  of 
£100  sterling  from  the  government,  which 
he  continued  to  receive  up  to  the  time  of  his 
decease,  a  period  of  over  fifty  years. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  certificate 
given  to  Mr.  Richardson  on  his  retiring  from 
the  service,  by  Commodore  Yeo  : 

u  These  are  to  certify,  the  Principal  Officers 
and  Commissioners  of  His  Majesty's  Navy, 
that  Mr.  James  Richardson,  late  Lieutenant 
in  His  Majesty's  Provincial  Navy  in  Canada, 
now  acting  master  on  board  His  Majesty's 
Ship,  Montreal,  has  served  on  board  His 
Majesty's  squadron  on  Lake  Ontario  under 
my  command  as  a  general  pilot  from  the 
twenty-fourth  of  May  to  the  thirty-first  of 
December,  1813,  then  acting  master  and  pilot 
5 


66 

to  the  date  hereof,  during  which  time  he  be- 
haved with  diligence,  sobriety,  and  attention, 
and  was  always  obedient  to  command.  At  the 
capture  of  Oswego  on  the  sixth  of  May,  1814, 
whilst  in  the  execution  of  his  duties  he  re- 
ceived a  severe  wound  in  his  left  arm,  which 
occasioned  its  being  taken  out  of  the  socket. 
In  addition  to  the  loss  of  an  arm,  his  general 
good  conduct  was  such  as  merits  my  warmest 
commendation. 

Given  under  my  hand,  on  board  His  Majes- 
ty's ship  St.  Lawrence,  at  Kingston  ? 
Upper  Canada,  this  second  day  of  March 
1815. 

JAMES  L.  YEO, 
Commodore  and  Commander  in  Chief. 


CHAPTER  III. 

His  Marriage — Mrs.  Richardson's  ancestry — Henry  Dennis — John 
Dennis — Their  adherence  to  the  crown— Consequent  losses — 
Various  removals — Settlement  of  the  family  in  Canada — Mr. 
Dennis  appointed  to  the  King's  dockyard,  Kingston — Removal 
to  York,  etc., — Mr.  Richardson  leaves  the  service — Removes  to 
Presque  Isle— Appointed  to  the  customs  and  on  the  commission 
of  the  Peace — First  Methodist  preacher  in  the  neighbourhood — 
Persuaded  by  Mrs.  Lyons  to  go  to  hear — Conviction — Mental 
struggles — Conversion  of  himself  and  wife — Incidents — Their 
house  the  home  of  the  preachers — Conversion  of  other  relatives 
— Appointed  steward — Called  to  preach — Received  a  Local 
Preacher's  license — Agitation  for  separation  from  parent  body. 

During  the  war  Lieutenant  Richardson 
was  married  to  Miss  Rebecca  Dennis,  the 
daughter  of  Mr.  John  Dennis,  who  was  for 
many  years  Master  builder  in  the  King's 
Dockyard  at  Kingston.  Mrs.  Richardson 
belonged  to  an  old  U.  E.  Loyalist  family. 
Her  grand-father.  Mr.  Henry  Dennis,  resided 
at  the  time  of  the  American  Revolution,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Delaware  in  Buck's  county 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  possessed  a  handsome 
property,  and  owned  also  some  valuable  iron 
works  about  thirty  miles  from  Philadelphia. 

67 


68 

He  was  strongly  attached  to  the  British 
Government,  but  belonging  to  the  Society  of 
Friends,  he  declined  to  take  up  arms.  His 
loyalty,  however,  led  him  to  render  such 
services  to  the  King's  cause  as  he  deemed  not 
inconsistent  with  the  creed  he  held.  Accord- 
ingly, he  carried  some  dispatches  for  the 
British  ;  and  being  detected,  was  obliged  with 
his  son  John,  who  accompanied  him,  to  take 
refuge  within  their  lines  at  New  York. 
There  they  resided  till  the  death  of  Mr.  Henry 
Dennis  which  occurred  during  the  war,  caused 
by  apoplexy.  His  valuable  estate  was  con- 
fiscated, and  forever  lost  to  his  family.  His 
son  John,  (the  father  of  Mrs.  Richardson,) 
shortly  afterward  joined  the  army. 

After  the  termination  of  the  war,  Mr.  John 
Dennis,  who  had  previously  married  in  New 
York,  went  with  other  U.  E.  Loyalists  to 
Beaver  Harbour,  Nova  Scotia.  There  the  un- 
fortunate refugees  found  themselves  sorely 
straightened  for  lack  of  the  absolute  neces- 
saries of  life.  Mr.  Dennis  seeing  no  prospect 
of  procuring  a  comfortable  livelihood  for  his 
family  in  that  place,  returned  to  New  York. 


69 

Thence  he  went  to  Alexandria,  in  the  District 
of  Columbia,  where  his  daughter  Rebecca  was 
born.  Though  he  was  successful  in  business 
in  Alexandria,  yet  that  did  not  reconcile  him 
to  the  state  of  things  he  found  existing  there. 
The  slavery  in  which  the  negroes  were  held 
particularly  excited  his  disgust,  and  resolving 
not  to  allow  himself  even  seemingly  to  be 
brought  into  complicity  with  that  "  sum  of 
all  villanies/'  he  determined  to  leave.  This 
was  about  the  time  that  Governor  Simcoe  was 
inviting  loyalists,  then  in  the  States,  to  come 
into  Upper  Canada,  and  having  townships 
surveyed  in  which  to  settle  them.  The  land 
which  fell  to  the  lot  of  Mr.  Dennis  was 
situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Humber,  not 
over  a  mile  from  the  site  of  the  present 
village  of  Wes ton .  Where  the  city  of  Toronto 
now  stands  was  almost  an  unbroken  wilder- 
ness. The  family  resided  there  for  some  years 
enduring  the  toils  and  privations  incident  to 
settlements  in  the  wilderness. 

Mr.  Dennis,  being  a  ship-builder,  sometimes 
varied  his  employment  by  building  small  ves- 
sels for  those  who  could  afford  such  convenien- 


70 

ces.  One  of  these  called  the  "Toronto,"  a 
schooner  rigged  Government  yacht  for  the 
transport  of  officers  and  employees  of  the  Gov- 
ernment and  others  across  the  lake,  pleas- 
ed Governor  Hunter  so  well  that  in  1802  he 
appointed  Mr.  Dennis  master  builder  in  the 
King's  Dockyard  at  Kingston.  There  he 
continued  till  the  summer  of  1812,  when  he 
was  ordered  to  York  (now  Toronto)  to  build 
a  ship.  When  the  Americans  in  April,  1813, 
took  York,  this  vessel,  then  nearly  completed, 
was  by  them  burned  upon  the  stocks.  Mr. 
Dennis,  as  captain  of  a  company  formed  of 
the  officers  and  others  connected  with  the 
Dockyard,  assisted  in  defending  the  place 
though  overpowered  by  their  assailants.  Mr. 
Dennis  continued  to  reside  in  York,  till  his 
death  by  Asiatic  cholera  in  1832. 

No  better  summary  of  Mrs.  Richardson's 
character  can  be  given  than  that  contained 
in  the  following  obituary  notice  of  her,  written 
by  her  bereaved  husband. 

"  Died  at  her  residence  at  Clover  Hill, 
Toronto,  29th  of  March  last,  aged  sixty  five, 
REBECCA,  wife  of  the  Rev.  James  Richardson." 


71 

''The  dear  departed  was  the  daughter  of 
the  late  John  and  Martha  Dennis,  who  were 
of  the  old  U.  E.  Loyalist  stock,  and  among 
the  first  of  the  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  this 
city,  then  an  almost  unbroken  wilderness. 
Her  father,  about  the  year  1802,  receiving  the 
appointment  of  master-builder  in  the  King's 
dock-yard  at  Kingston,  removed  thither.  It 
was  there,  in  1809,  that  I  first  formed  ac- 
quaintance with  her,  which  in  1813  resulted 
in  our  marriage,  disregarding  in  the  ardour 
of  our  youth  the  privations  and  troubles 
incidental  to  the  state  of  war  then  raging  in 
our  country,  and  to  which,  from  my  position 
in  the  Navy,  I  was  peculiarly  exposed." 

Peace  being  happily  restored  and  the 
country  quiet,  we  retired  from  public  life, 
and  removed  in  the  spring  of  1817  to  the 
Presque  Isle  Harbour,  near  what  is  now  the 
village  of  Brighton,  thinking  there  to  spend 
in  a  quiet  rural  way  the  remnant  of  our  days ; 
but  Providence  ordered  otherwise. 

The  preaching  and  ordinances  of  religion 
in  our  neighbourhood  as  administered  by  the 
Methodists — those  earliest  and  most  success- 


72 

ful  pioneers  of  religion  in  Canada — were, 
though  somewhat  novel  and  strange  to  us  at 
the  first,  rendered  effectual  through  grace  to 
the  conversion  of  our  souls,  and  eventually  to 
a  thorough  change  in  the  course  of  our  lives. 
In  August  1818  we  united  ourselves  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  came 
under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  late  Rev. 
Thomas  Madden. 

Our  house  now  became  the  favoured  resort 
of  the  itinerating  ministers  of  Christ,  and 
other  wayfaring  travellers  in  Zion,  whose 
welcome  and  pious  visits  tended  much  to 
make  the  few  years  of  our  residence  there 
some  of  the  most  agreeable  of  our  lives.  The 
pleasure  and  profit  which  Mrs.  Richardson 
derived  from  this  intercourse  was  evinced  by 
the  cheerfulness  with  which  she  always  dis- 
pensed the  hospitalities  of  her  home.5> 

"  The  impressions  and  calls  of  duty  leading 
me  forth  from  the  quiet  and  comfort  of  this 
retired  spot,  to  the  privations,  hardships,  and 
labours  incident  to  the  itinerant  life,  especially 
in  those  earlier  days  of  Methodism  in  Canada, 
put  her  faith  and  love  to  a  severe  test.  To 


forego  the  comforts  and  increasing  felicity  of 
a  home  which  seven  years  of  joint  labour  and 
care  had  with  the  blessing  of  Providence 
provided,  endeared  as  it  was  by  the  most 
hallowed  associations  and  bonds  of  neighbourly 
regard  and  affection,  with  bright  prospects 
in  regard  to  the  future,  was  a  trial  of  no 
ordinary  kind.  To  exchange  these  sources 
of  enjoyment  for  the  inconveniences  and  pri- 
vations incident  to  the  homeless  wanderings 
of  a  Methodist  preacher's  life  in  those  days 
when  there  were  no  parsonages  existing  nor 
funds  to  pay  the  rental  thereof,  was  especially 
trying  to  one  so  proverbially  fond  of  her 
children  and  domestic  comforts,  as  was  my 
late  partner.  Yet  her  piety  and  devotion  to 
the  cause  triumphed,  for  when  I,  with  much 
hesitation,  first  broached  the  subject  to  her, 
she  meekly  replied,  "  I  will  not  stand  in  the 
way  of  your  duty." 

After  describing  their  removal  from  their 
pleasant  home  at  Presque  Isle  to  his  first 
circuit,  and  noticing  some  of  their  toils  and 
discomforts  there,  Mr.  Richardson  adds — 

"  Yet  all  this,  with  what  followed  as  we 


74 

were  removed  from  place  to  place  for  several 
succeeding  years,  she  bore  with  becoming 
resignation  and  Christian  cheerfulness.  All 
went  well  till  the  unhappy,  and  as  she 
believed  uncalled  for  action  of  the  conference 
relative  to  the  Union  so-called,  which,  with 
what  followed  in  succession  for  a  few  years, 
shook  her  confidence  and  disturbed  her  mind. 
The  remnant  of  the  Episcopal  Methodists, 
in  these  times  struggling  to  sustain  the  old 
economy  of  the  church,  received  her  sympathy, 
but  not  having  any  society  of  these  in  the 
city,  she  was  led  to  seek  religious  fellowship 
with  the  Congregational  Church,  then  under 
the  pastoral  care  of  the  Rev.  John  Roaf. 
With  them  she  united,  and  continued  a  de- 
voted and  steadfast  adherent  to  the  cause  of 
Christ  in  that  Church  till  it  pleased  the  Lord 
to  take  her  to  himself.  In  the  meantime 
taking  pleasure  in  entertaining  the  friends  of 
Christ,  of  whatsoever  denomination  they 
were,  and  in  contributing  to  the  means  for 
the  promotion  of  His  Kingdom  among  men." 
"  The  last  few  years  of  her  life  were 
marked  by  severe  bodily  affliction,  she  being 


75 

confined  to  her  couch  or  chair,  yet  was  cheer- 
ful and  resigned.  Always,  when  asked  in 
regard  to  her  spiritual  state,  expressing  her 
confidence  in  God,  and  her  firm  reliance  on 
the  merits  and  faithfulness  of  Christ ;  and 
speaking  also  of  the  love  she  felt,  in  the 
midst  of  her  severest  sufferings,  for  God,  His 
cause  and  His  people/' 

"  Her  piety  was  not  of  the  fitful,  impulsive, 
or  visionary  kind,  it  was  characterized  by 
steadiness  of  purpose,  practical  endurance  and 
persevering  usefulness.  The  claims  of  the 
Bible,  the  Tract,  the  Missionary,  and  the 
Temperance  cause,  never  appealed  to  her  in 
vain,  but  each  was  sure  to  meet  in  her  a 
prompt  and  liberal  friend.  Her  surviving 
associates,  remembering  by-gone  days,  will 
feel  that  we  have  lost  a  mother  in  Israel." 

But  to  return  to  the  subject  of  our  narra- 
tive : — Hitherto,  though  strictly  moral,  up- 
right and  conscientious,  in  every  respect  a 
worthy  member  of  the  community,  and  a 
model  British  officer,  Mr.  Richardson  had  as 
yet  had  no  experimental  knowledge  of  reli- 
gion. But  now  removed  from  the  exciting 


76 

influences  which  necessarily  surrounded  him 
on  board  a  man  of  war,  he  had  more  time  for 
quiet  reflection  ;  and,  just  at  this  time  he 
providentially  became  acquainted  with  those 
untiring  evangelists,  the  Methodist  preachers. 
The  account  of  his  conversion  together  with 
some  incidents  relative  to  his  first  acquain- 
tance with  several  of  those  pioneer  preachers 
will  be  best  given  in  his  own  words. 

"  In  the  course  of  the  summer  of  1817,"  he 
writes,  "  I  was  led  to  hear  the  Methodists, 
and  the  first  sermon  I  heard  with  attention 
took  hold  of  me  and  was  the  germ  of  my  con- 
version and  entire  change  of  life." 

"  One  fine  sunshiny  week  day  in  the  month 
of  July,  a  person  on  horseback  passed  by  our 
house  within  view  of  the  window,  with 
saddle  bags  under  him,  when  some  one  ex- 
claimed, '  There  goes  a  Methodist  preacher.' 
4  Aye !  so  it  is,  Where  is  he  going  to  preach  ?' 
6  At  'Kiah  Betty's,  about  two  miles  from  this 
on  the  Lake  shore/  '  Indeed  !  Who  will  go 
and  hear  him  ?' ' 

<f '  You  had  better  go/  exclaimed  grand- 
mother Lyons,  a  pious  old  Baptist  lady,  who 


77 

in  her  anxiety  to  turn  our  attention  to  the 
things  that  accompany  salvation,  was  ready 
to  commend  the  ministry  of  the  blessed  gospel, 
though  in  some  respects  not  according  with 
her  own  views.  Her  heart  yearned  for  our 
conversion  to  God,  by  which  she  was  prompted 
to  urge  our  attendance  on  the  only  means  of 
grace  within  our  reach." 

I.  with  my  wife  and  sister,  Mrs.  Lyons, 
went,  and  for  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  heard 
with  effect.  The  sermon  was  founded  on 
Rev.  iii.  c.  20th  v.  The  matter  of  this  dis- 
course, the  manner  of  its  delivery,  the  solem- 
nity and  general  appearance  of  the  preacher 
—the  late  Wyatt  Chamberlain,  sent  from  the 
Genesee  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church — all  had  their  effect  upon  my 
mind.  The  subject  was  communion  with 
Christ  in  the  heart,  attended  by  faith, 
yielding  obedience  to  his  calls.  I  said  to 
myself  while  it  carried  conviction  to  my  con- 
science, 6  If  this  be  Christianity,  alas !  1  am 
not  a  Christian,  ior  I  know  not  this/  ' 

"  Henceforth  I  searched  the  Scriptures  to 
know  if  these  things  were  so;  but  slow  indeed 


78 

was  my  progress.  I  was  sincere  in  my  inquiries 
but  hesitating  in  my  decisions.  The  gospel 
requires  of  us  sacrifices  and  duties  ;  the  taking 
up  of  crosses  and  the  endurance  of  self-denials ; 
and  the  conflicts  between  the  flesh  and  the 
spirit.  More  than  a  year  elapsed  from  the 
time  of  these  incipient  drawings  of  the  Spirit 
till  I  was  wholly  given  up  to  God.  I  first 
saw  men  as  trees  walking,  my  understanding- 
being  gradually  informed,  and  my  judgment 
convinced,  but  my  faith  stood  more  in  the 
wisdom  of  men  than  in  the  power  of  God.  I 
knew  that  there  was  a  gracious  operation  on 
my  mind  leading  me  to  a  new  course  of  life, 
but  I  could  not  define  it,  nor  could  I  say — 

*  My  Father,  God,  with  an  unwavering  tongue.' 

But  at  length  the  auspicious  time  arrived, 
when  I  could  indeed  say — 

'  Faith  lends  its  realizing  light, 
The  clouds  disperse,  the  shadows  fly. '  " 

"  God  shone  into  my  heart  and  I  saw  light 
in  his  light,  'My  chains  fell  off,  my  heart 
was  free.'  This  happy  experience  came  while 
on  my  knees  assembled  with  the  people  of 
God,  at  a  love-feast  on  the  eve  of  approaching 


79 

the  Lord's  table.  Then  the  blessed  truth  of 
which  my  mind  had  for  a  length  of  time  been 
convinced,  that  Jesus  loved  me  and  gave 
himself  for  me,  came  with  power  to  my  heart, 
I  felt  the  spirit  of  adoption  and  could  say 
•  Abba  Father.'  This  was  at  a  quarterly- 
meeting  and  love-feast,  held  in  a  barn,  at  the 
6  four  corners,'  in  the  township  of  Haldimand, 
in  the  Autumn  of  1818." 

"  As  to  chapel  or  meeting-house,  in  those 
days  there  was  none  for  many  miles  around 
that  section  of  country.  Indeed  I  cannot  call 
to  mind  the  existence  of  such,  of  any  denom- 
ination, in  all  the  district  of  Newcastle. 
School-houses,  barns,  and  private  residences, 
offered  the  best  accommodations  that  Chris- 
tian assemblies  could^command.  Nevertheless 
the  power  of  God  was  there,  and  in  the  work 
of  preaching  and  praying  the  ministers  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  as  pioneers,  led 
the  van.  With  this  denomination  of  Chris- 
tians I  cast  in  my  lot.  They  were  instru- 
mentally  the  means  of  my  conversion,  and  I 
said,  '  This  people  shall  be  my  people,  and 
their  God  my  God.'  From  this  meeting  I 
returned  home,  burning 


80 

'  To  tell  to  sinners  round, 

What  a  dear  Saviour  I  had  found.'  " 

Having  given  a  consecutive  account  of  the 
exercises  of  mind  under  which  he  laboured 
during  the  year  succeeding  the  time  when  he 
first  heard  the  Methodists  and  his  consequent 
coversion,  Mr.  Richardson  returns  again  to 
that  memorable  day's  sermon  with  its  results 
to  other  members  of  his  family,  and  to  the 
neighborhood  at  large.  He  says  : 

"  On  returning  from  the  meeting  that  day 
with  my  wife  and  sister,  Old  Mother  Lyons 
said,  4  Well,  howr  did  you  like  the  meeting  ?' 
I  replied,  <  Very  much,  indeed,  I  liked  the 
discourse,  and  the  appearance  of  the  preacher, 
too.'  Then  said  the  pious  old  lady  '  Did  you 
ask  him  to  come  home  with  you.'  '  Why  no,' 
was  the  reply '  we  did  *not  think  of  that.' 
'  But,'  she  continued,  '  would  you  not  like  to 
do  so  ?'  We  all  said  yes,  so  her  son  James 
and  I  went  forth  to  seek  the  man  of  God. 
We  found  him.  He  accepted  our  invitation 
and  abode  with  us  that  night.  Mr.  Lyons 
then  proposed  to  him  that,  as  the  preaching 
place  at  Mr.  Betty's  was  remote  and  incon- 
venient, he  would  accommodate  him  with  the 


81 

use  of  his  new  barn  during  the  summer,  and 
some  place  more  suitable  when  the  cold 
weather  should  set  in.  And  he  stated  fur- 
ther to  the  preacher  that  if  he  would  es- 
tablish his  meetings  among  us,  if  it  were  but 
on  a  week-day,  all  his  working  hands,  about 
30  in  number,  should  be  at  liberty  to  attend 
the  meetings.  This  proposition  was  acceeded 
to  and  regular  preaching  established  among 
us.  From  this  small  beginning  mighty 
results  have  followed,  for  though  the  work 
was  very  gradual  and  for  some  time  but  little 
fruit  appeared,  it  nevertheless  progressed  and 
matured  till  it  took  deep  root  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  brought  forth  abundantly  in  a 
glorious  harvest  of  souls." 

"  Thus  forming  an  acquaintance  with  the 
Methodist  ministers,  and  having  their  ser- 
vices regularly  among  us,  my  wife  as  well 
as  myself,  was  eventually  brought  to  the 
saving  knowledge  of  God.  We  joined  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  1818,  under 
the  pastoral  care  of  the  late  Thomas  Madden." 

It  will  have  been  seen   that  the  place  of 
meeting  had  been  removed  from  the  humble 
6 


82 

and  somewhat  inconvenient  abode  of  Kiah 
Betty,  which  was  situated  on  the  lake  shore 
road  leading  from  Brighton  to  Belleville,  to 
the  more  commodious  barn  of  Mr.  Lyons. 

But  in  those  days  it  mattered  little  to  a 
people  hungering  and  thirsting  after  spiritual 
knowledge,  whether  the  place  of  meeting  was 
remote  or  the  building  conveniently  arranged 
for  worship,  or  not,  they  flocked  eagerly  to 
the  place  appointed  for  meeting,  and  when 
there  listened  attentively  to  the  ministration 
of  the  earnest  itinerant,  and  as  a  consequence 
"  the  word  of  God  had  free  course  and  was 
glorified."  Though  the  Methodist  ministers 
had  been  sent  into  Canada  from  the  New 
York  and  Genesee  Conferences,  yet  there 
nevertheless  existed  a  cordial  feeling  between 
them  and  the  Canadian  people,  who  gladly 
received  them  into  their  houses,  and  enter- 
tained them  with  the  hearty  hospitality 
peculiar  to  those  early  days  in  the  history 
of  the  country. 

Nor  was  this  spirit  of  kindness  confined  to 
the  vicinity  of  Brighton,  it  prevailed  through- 
out the  entire  Province,  until  evil-minded 


83 

men,  who  wished  to  destroy  Methodism, 
assisted  by  others  who  desired  to  build  on  the 
foundation  laid  by  the  self-sacrifice  and 
devotion  of  the  American  Methodists,  com- 
menced to  sow  the  seeds  of  dissension  in  the 
societies.  Then  came  sad  days  for  both 
preachers  and  people.  But  of  this  anon. 

After  his  conversion  Mr,  Richardson  was 
no  less  ardent  in  the  service  of  his  Heavenly 
Father  than  he  had  formerly  been  in  the 
service  of  his  king,  and  he  at  once  became  a 
man  of  mark  in  the  infant  society,  being  in  a 
short  time  appointed  to  the  responsible 
offices  of  steward,  and  local  preacher.  With 
regard  to  the  arrangement  of  circuits,  and 
incidents  connected  with  the  ministrations  of 
those  times  Mr.  Richardson  thus  writes  : 

"  'Smith's  Creek  Circuit,'  was  the  cognomen 
of  the  field  of  labour  within  the  bounds  of 
which  was  my  residence  at  Presque  Isle 
harbor.  This  was  a  two  weeks  circuit  with 
one  preacher — Elijah  Boardman — who  had 
an  amiable  wife  and  no  children.  He  was  a 
stranger  from  the  Genesee  Conference,  an 
eccentric  character  but  devoted  to  his  work 


84 

and  acceptable  in  his  ministrations.  This 
circuit  was  a  '  set  off'  from  the  western  part 
of  Hallowell  circuit,  and  destitute  of  either 
chapel  or  parsonage." 

"  My  wife  and  I  deemed  it  a  duty  to  open 
our  house  to  supply  the  lack  of  both,  making 
it  both  a  preaching  place  and  preacher's 
residence,  during  the  conference  year,  with- 
out any  remuneration  other  than  that  de- 
rived from  the  consciousness  of  utility  to  the 
church,  the  society  of  the  preacher  in  the  cycle 
of  his  travels,  and  that  of  his  amiable  wife 
continually.  The  year  passed  agreeably  and 
profitably,  and  at  the  close  thereof  our  some- 
what eccentric  preacher  was  removed  to  other 
fields  beyond,  so  as  to  be  never  again  seen  in 
the  flesh  by  me.  Not  so,  however,  his  suc- 
cessor, of  whom  more  anon." 

"  I  had  scarcely  abided  my  six  months  of 
trial  in  the  society,  ere  they  thrust  upon  me 
the  responsible  office  of  Steward^  the  duties 
of  which  I  had  to  ascertain  the  best  way  I 
could,  for  neither  preacher  nor  presiding 
elder  said  a  word  in  relation  to  them.  The 
preachers  in  those  days  were  very  reticent  in 


8b 

regard  to  finances,  or  means  of  support,  some- 
what culpably  so,  for  the  deficiencies  of 
financial  matters  in  the  M..  E.  Church  at  the 
present  day  may  in  a  great  measure  be  traced 
to  the  indifference  of  our  fathers  in  the  min- 
isterial field.  Such  a  '  culpability,'  however, 
smacks  somewhat  virtuously  as  springing 
from  an  absorbing  love  of  souls." 

"  Three  quarters  of  the  year's  labor  had 
passed,  when  sitting  with  brother  Boardman 
ia  my  parlour,  I  enquired  the  amount  he  had 
received  from  the  circuit  for  his  labours— 
rather  a  strange  question  to  be  put  by  the 
6  Steward]  who  ought  to  have  known  the 
accounts — but  such,  I  have  just  stated,  was 
my  ignorance  of  duty.  He  replied  "  About 
$30."  "  What!"  I  remarked,  " only  $30  for 
yourself  and  wife,  and  three  quarters  of  the 
year  gone,  what  will  you  do  ?"  He  replied 
with  the  utmost  sangfroid,  "  I'll  travel  as 
long  as  I  can,  and  my  old  horse  will  carry 
me,  and  then  will  stop."  "Well,"  I  said, 
'•  This  will  not  do,"  and  bethinking  me  of 
my  duty  as  steward  I  turned  to  the  book  of 
discipline  for  instruction,  and  soon  learned 


8(5 

my  duty.  Then  I  asked  the  preacher  to  in- 
form me  as  to  the  respective  numbers  and 
standing  of  the  classes.  Furnished  with  this 
I  took  upon  myself  to  make  a  dividend  of  the 
deficiency  to  each  class ;  and  drawing  up  a 
circular,  sent  it  by  the  hands  of  the  preacher 
to  each.  The  result  was  a  return  at  the  last 
quarterly  meeting  of  the  full  disciplinary  al- 
lowance for  himself  and  wife,  and  a  trifle  over." 

"  I  specify  these  particulars  as  signs  of  the 
times  and  for  the  encouragement  of  others  in 
like  circumstances.  But  as  to  times ;  how 
dissimilar  then  from  now.  Then  there  was 
little  if  any  cash  in  the  country  circuits,  even 
wheat  would  bring  but  half  a  dollar  per 
bushel,  and  that  in  barter  or  store  pay." 

"  The  year  following,  that  is  1820,  the 
Conference  furnished  us — Smith's  Creek  cir- 
cuit— with  a  smooth  round  faced  young  preach- 
er with  a  sharp  black  eye  and  firm,  intelligent 
and  self-reliant  countenance,  who  was  destined 
to  make  his  mark,  and  leave  his  name  in  tKe 
annals  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
Canada — the  late  lamented  Bishop,  Philander 
Smith,  who  thenceforth  became  my  bosom 


87 

friend  and  steadfast  fellow  laborer  for  nearly 
50  years.  He  also  preached  in  my  house, 
and  occupied  in  his  turn,  the  '  little  chamber 
on  the  wall/  The  circuit  prospered  and  this 
year  the  first  chapel  was  erected  a  few  miles 
north  of  where  the  town  of  Cobourg  now 
stands.  This  was  considered  quite  an 
achievement  in  those  days,  a  frame  build- 
ing about  45  by  30  or  35.  But  we  were 
a  happy  and  united  people,  zealous  and 
plain,  intent  only  on  serving  God  and  en- 
joying the  light  of  His  countenance.  Secure  in 
this,  the  wheels  Zion's  chariot  revolved 
smoothly.  The  blessings  of  God  rested  also 
on  my  tabernacle.  In  answer  to  prayer  I 
had  the  hallowed  delight  of  witnessing,  with- 
in a  short  time  after  my  late  dear  wife  and  I 
had  given  ourselves  to  the  Lord,  the  conver- 
sion of  my  aged  father  and  step-mother  with 
several  of  his  household,  my  sister  Sarah  Ann 
Lyons  and  her  husband  James  Lyons,  with 
such  of  their  household  as  were  of  adult  age. 
While  yet  in  an  unconverted  state  we  had 
all  come  to  reside  there,  contiguous  to  each 
other,  and  now,  behold  the  change  wrought 


88 

by  grace,  one  family  in  the  Lord,  walking 
together  in  the  hope  and  comfort  derived  from 
the  belief  of  the  truth  and  witnessed  by  the 
Spirit.  The  conversion  of  my  aged  father 
and  his  wife  was  the  more  remarkable,  as  it 
was  the  triumph  of  grace  over  a  life  long 
prejudice  against  knowing  our  sins  forgiven, 
more  especially  so  in  regard  to  the  Methodists. 
It  may  not  be  out  of  place  here,  as  an  illus- 
tration of  this,  to  record  a  brief  conversation 
between  him  and  me  a  week  or  two  after  I 
had  joined  the  Society. 

Some  remarks  having  fallen  from  him  bear- 
ing, as  I  thought,  rather  unfairly  on  a  worthy 
Scotch  Presbyterian  lady,  the  wife  of  a 
Baptist  minister  then  residing  among  us,  who 
was  about  to  submit  to  immersion  and  join 
her  husband's  church,  no  doubt  from  a  con- 
viction of  duty,  I  was  led  to  reply  in  a  way 
that  touched  my  good  father,  who  was  re- 
markable for  his  open  bluntness  and  somewhat 
hasty  candor,  and  he  sharply  reproached  me 
thus  : 

'  Ah !  so  you,  too,  must  leave  the  Church, 
and  join  the  Methodists.'  I  replied  '  No 


89 

father,  I  have  not  left  the  Church,  I  mean 
the  Church  of  Christ,  and  as  for  the  Church 
of  England  itself,  I  never  thought  so  highly 
of  her  doctrines,  nor  understood  them  so 
clearly  as  since  I  have  become  a  Methodist.' 

This  statement  seemed  to  surprise  him  and 
he  replied  :  » 

"  Why  then  could  you  not  have  remained  ? 
You  might  have  been  as  religious  as  you 
please ;  no  one  would  have  hindered  you.' 

6  Ah  father,'  I  replied,  that  is  saying  but 
little  indeed,  "No  one  would  have  hindered 
me"  .We  need  help  to  lead  a  religious  life, 
all  the  help  we  can  get." 

"  This  seemed  a  new  idea  to  him,  and  he 
promptly  and  with  apparent  concern,  asked 
how  is  that  ?  Is  it  any  better  where  you  are 
gone  ?" 

I  said  "  Yes  ;  they  help  me  on  all  sides, 
converse,  instruct,  and  pray  with  and  for  me." 

Here,  after  another  remark  or  two,  our 
dialogue  ended,  and  I  recorded  it  only  to 
show  the  difference  between  the  mere  negative 
and  the  positive  in  church  relations.  Who- 
soever would  "work  out  his  salvation  with 


90 

fear  and  trembling  " — "  Deny  himself  of  all 
ungodliness,  and  worldly  lusts  and  live  soberly 
righteously  and  godly/' — "Take  up  his  cross 
daily  and  follow  Christ."  needs  help  indeed, 
whether  he  be  Churchman  or  Methodist,  and 
if  the  community  of  the  former  does  not 
furnishit  he  will  naturally,  if  not  of  necessity, 
look  to  the  latter,  or  some  other  community 
for  it.  Here  is  the  clue  to  the  rise,  progress 
and  success  of  Methodism  ;  and  should  it  ever 
fail  to  meet  its  original  design,  or  serve  the 
purpose  of  effectual  help  to  a  religious  life, 
then  God  will  transfer  the  glory  to  some  other 
community.  The  design  of  a  church  must 
be  answered  or  it  ceases  to  be  a  church  of 
His." 

In  this  connection  it  seems  appropriate  to 
notice  the  affectionate  regard  which  the  Bishop 
retained  through  life  for  the  character  and 
memory  of  the  clergyman  who  was  the  reli- 
gious instructor  of  his  boyhood,  which  will  be 
seen  in  the  following  extract  from  his  manu- 
script, written  at  a  late  period  of  his  own  life  : 

Speaking  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Stuart  he 
says : — 


91 

"  No  man  of  his  day  and  place  was  more 
respected  by  all  who  had  the  pleasure  of  his 
acquaintance.  Stately  and  graceful  in  his 
person,  dignified,  and  yet  affable  in  his  man- 
ners, circumspect  in  his  deportment,  impres- 
sive and  diligent  in  his  ministerial  duties,  he 
maintained  to  the  last  the  position  of  a 
patriarch  and  counsellor.  A  few  years  since 
I  paid  a  passing  visit  to  my  ever  dear  native 
town,  Kingston,  and  strolled  lonely  and  pen- 
sive, ruminating  on  bygone  days — my  early 
playfellows  (now  tenants  of  the  churchyard) 
— the  scenes  of  my  childhood  and  youth 
filled  my  imagination,  and  strongly  contrast- 
ed with  the  altered  and  advanced  state  of 
things  then  around  me.  I  came  to  a  Stuart's 
Point,"  and  observing  the  remnant  of  the 
foundation  of  the  once  venerated  parsonage, 
a  lowly  frame  dwelling  which  had  once 
graced  with  its  yellow  front  the  lovely  spot 
where  it  stood  so  many  years  among  the  lofty 
pines  which  surrounded  it.  I  instinctively 
placed  myself  upon  it,  and  forlorn  and  de- 
serted as  it  was  did  homage  there  on  this 
vestige  of  their  home  to  the  memory  of  its 


92 

former  pious  and  venerated  inmates.  '  The 
memory  of  the  just  is  blessed.' ' 

"  But  to  return  to  my  narrative.  After 
the  year's  labor  of  brother  Philander  Smith, 
the  circuit  was  favored  by  the  return  of  Elder 
Madden,  who,  by  his  mature  experience,  j  udi- 
cious  administration  and  pulpit  instruction, 
consolidated  the  work  among  us.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  Samuel  Belton,  who  re- 
mained two  years,  assisted  occasionally  by 
brothers  Charles  Wood,  Joseph  Atwood  and 
Joseph  Castle,  now  Dr.  Castle  of  Philadelphia 
Conference,  all  of  whom  had  more  or  less  of 
our  esteem  and  brotherly  affection — more 
especially  Samuel  Belton,  whose  two  year's 
labour  was  marked  by  signal  success,  in  and 
around  our  immediate  neighbourhood." 

In  1824  the  agitation  begun  by  "Rev.  Henry 
Ryan,  and  those  who  acted  with  him,  con- 
cerning a  separation  of  the  Methodist  societies 
in  Canada  from  the  Church  in  the  United 
States,  had  become  so  great  that  the  entire 
Canadian  Church  was  convulsed  with  it.  and, 
for  a  time,  Mr.  Richardson,  over  whom  Mr. 
Ryan  possessed  great  influence,  was  induced 


93 

to  lend  his  sympathies  and  aid  to  the  scheme. 
He,  with  other  worthy  local  preachers,  had 
been  led  to  believe  that  Mr.  Ryan  had  been 
unkindly  treated  by  the  Genesee  Conference, 
in  not  having  been  elected  a  delegate  to  the 
General  Conference  held  in  May  of  this  year 
(1824),  and  that,  in  addition,  the  American 
preachers,  while  having  little  or  no  respect 
for  the  wishes  of  the  Canadian  societies,  had 
yet  political  designs  upon  these  provinces. 
This  latter  supposition,  which  afterwards 
proved  to  be  without  foundation,  in  fact, 
touched  the  patriotism  of  men  who.  like  Mr. 
Richardson,  had  risked  their  lives  in  defence 
of  their  country,  and  together  with  other 
misrepresentations  made  by  designing  men, 
roused  many  of  the  people,  especially  the 
local  preachers,  to  a  pitch  of  excitement  not 
easily  to  be  allayed. 

Mr.  Richardson  was  secretary  of  the  Local 
Preachers'  Conference  of  the  Bay  of  Quinte 
District,  which  was  held  previous  to  the  con- 
ference of  1824.  He  was  prevailed  on  to 
assist  in  getting  up  a  series  of  resolutions, 
advocating  very  strongly  the  separation  of 


94- 

the  Canadian  societies  from  the  parent  body, 
arid  there  is  little  doubt  but  these  resolutions 
tended  materially  to  accelerate  the  movement 
for  an  Independent  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  Canada. 

In  order  to  allay  the  agitation,  the  Can  ad  a 
Conference  had  been  set  off  by  itself,  and  the 
tirst  Conference  was  appointed  to  be  held  at 
Hallo  well,  in  August  of  this  year  (1824)  ; 
but  those  who  had  determined  that  they 
would  not  be  satisfied  with  any  concession 
short  of  complete  separation,  used  all  their 
energies  to  raise  the  excitement  still  higher, 
if  that  were  possible.  Mr.  Ryan  fortified 
himself  with  the  resolutions  referred  to  above? 
in  order  to  make  an  impression  upon  the 
minds  of  such  of  the  American  brethren  as 
might  be  present.  Still  further  to  influence 
the  Conference,  Mr.  Ryan  had  advised  a  large 
number  of  the  local  preachers  to  be  in  atten- 
dance there ;  an  advice  which  many  followed 
among  whom  was  Mr.  Richardson. 

Bishops  George  and  Hedding  had  come  in 
to  organize  the  Canadian  Conference,  and 
shortly  after  their  arrival  at  the  seat  of  con- 


95 

ference,  Bishop  George  sent  for  Mr.  Richard- 
son and  gave  him  a  satisfactory  explanation 
respecting  the  proceedings  of  both  the  Genesee 
and  General  Conferences,  with  regard  to 
Canadian  affairs. 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Richardson  perceived  that 
he  had  been  misinformed.,  he  manifested  the 
deep  regret  he  felt  for  the  part  he  had  been 
induced  to  take,  by  commencing  to  pour  oil  on 
the  troubled  waters.  But  matters  had  by 
this  time  gone  too  far  to  prevent  the  separa- 
tion, with  all  its  subsequent  train  of  evils. 

The  majority  of  both  the  preachers  and 
people  seemed  anxious  that  the  Canadian 
work  should  be  set  off  as  an  independent 
body,  in  friendly  relation  to  the  parent  Church, 
and  both  the  Bishops  deemed  it  wisdom  to 
grant  them  their  desire,  as  then  expressed. 

Mr.  Richardson  repeatedly  stated  that  this 
action  of  the  Conference  was  not  forced  upon 
them  by  the  then  Government ;  though  it 
was  urged  on  by  some  of  the  ambitious  men 
in  the  church,  and  by  the  clique  who  sought 
to  rule  Canada,  viz.,  the  Family  Compact, 
with  other  advocates  of  church  and  state  con- 


96 

nection  in  these  colonies,  who  strove  to  com- 
pel the  American  preachers  to  labour  under 
various  disabilities. 

The  general  deportment,  pious  conversa- 
tion and  evident  disinterestedness  of  both  the 
Bishops  on  this  occasion,  impressed  Mr. 
Richardson  so  favourably  that  he  ever  after- 
words held  not  only  them,  but  the  Church  of 
which  they  were  the  honoured  superinten- 
dents, in  the  highest  respect. 

Satisfied  with  the  explanation  of  the 
Bishops,  he  returned  home  from  the  Hallowel 
Conference  more  warmly  attached  to  his 
beloved  Methodism,  and  more  fully  deter- 
mined than  ever  to  devote  himself  to  the 
extension  of  the  Master's  Kingdom. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Former  Impressions  of  duty  intensified — Enters  the  itinerancy — 
First  years  under  the  P.  E. — Incidents  of  arrival  on  first 
circuit — Procuring  a  home  for  family — Extent  of  Yonge  Street 
circuit  in  1824— How  travelled — Winter  of  1824-1825 — Con- 
ditionof  thecircuit — Amount  received — Agood  colleague — Con- 
dition of  the  circuit  at  the  end  of  the  year — Admitted  on  trial 
1825 — Returned  to  Yonge  Street  with  Egerton  Ryerson  as 
assistant — Pleasant  colleague  and  prosperous  year — Member- 
ship doubled — Another  son — Conference  of  1826 — Sent  to  Fort 
George  and  Queenston — Admitted  into  full  connexion  at  con- 
ference of  1827 — Sent  to  the  Credit  mission — Labours,  trials, 
and  success  of  the  year. 

Mr.  Richardson  had  now  been  for  some 
years  acting  with  acceptability  and  useful- 
ness, as  a  local  preacher.  He  had  been  privi- 
leged to  rejoice  in  the  conversion  of  beloved 
relatives,  dear  friends,  and  neighbours,  and 
in  the  prosperity  of  the  cause  on  the  circuit. 
And  while  he  praised  God  for  what  HE  had 
there  wrought  through  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel,  he  felt  pressed  in  spirit  to  go  himself 
and  carry  the  same  glorious  message  of  salva- 
tion into  other  communities.  The  impres- 
sions leading  in  this  direction  which  he  had 
7  97 


98    • 

felt  from  a  very  early  period  of  his  Christian 
life,  now  acted  upon  his  mind  with  redoubled 
force.  In  relation  to  this  he  says  : — 

"  I  now  approach  the  event  in  the  history 
of  my  religious  life,  which  in  its  results,  to 
me  and  mine,  surpassed  all  others,  except,  in- 
deed, my  conversion  to  God.  For  some 
months,  during  the  autumn  and  winter  of 
1823-24,  my  mind  was  impressed  with  the 
thought  that  it  wa$  incumbent  on  me  to  take 
the  itinerant  field,  and  do  what  I  could  to 
cultivate '  Immanuel's  land.'  But  the  thought 
was  intrusive  and  painful.  How  could  I 
broach  it  to  my  wife  ?  who  had  co-laboured 
with  me  through  seven  years  of  privation  and 
hard  work,  till  we  had  succeeded  in  securing 
a  comfortable  home.  Our  domestic  felicity 
increasing  every  year,  and  our  future  pros- 
spects  becoming  more  promising,  my  income 
from  the  office  of  Collector  of  Customs  in- 
creasing ;  my  influence  as  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  and  local  preacher  extending ;  in  a 
word  every  earthly  tie  binding  me  to  home 
and  its  endearments." 

"  All  this  to   be   left   behind.     And   for 


99 

what  ?  Why  was  I  called  to  the  sacrifice  ? 
I  could  scarcely  tell  wliy.  But  so  it  was,  the 
thought  followed  and  troubled  me."  I  well 
knew  that  Methodist  itinerants  in  those  days 
got  only  a  very  precarious  support.  Scarcely 
a  parsonage,  comfortable  or  otherwise,  or  any 
circuit  awaited  them.  As  to  financial  arrange- 
ments there  were  none  worthy  of  the  name. 
Anything  or  nothing,  as  it  might  be,  was  the 
order  of  the  day.  I  knew,  what  was  before 
me,  yet  something  said  '  You  must  go.' " 

"  At  length  with  considerable  hesitancy,  I 
mentioned  what  was  on  my  mind  to  my  wife. 
She  looked  serious  and  much  impressed,  but 
after  an  evident  struggle  of  feeling,  replied, 
"  I  will  not  stand  in  the  way  of  your  duty." 

"  That  decided  the  matter.  The  die  was 
cast.  Instead  of  being  comfortably  moored 
with  my  family  in  this  retired  but  plea- 
sant spot,  I  must  now  weigh  anchor,  and 
put  out  on  the  roving  voyage  of  life,  to 
wander  up  and  down,  and  smile  at  toil  and 
pain.  Well,  so  it  has  been,  and  so  let  it  ber 
if  God's  cause  demands  it.  Casting  my  all 
upon  my  Heavenly  Father's  care  I  committed 


100 

myself  and  family  to  the  toils  and  privations 
attendant  on  a  Methodist  preacher's  life  in 
those  days.  My  confidence  was  not  mis- 
placed. God  has  taken  care  of  me  and  mine 
all  along,  and  I  trust  Him  for  what  is  to  come. 
And  now  let  me  sing — 

'  Here  I'll  raise  mine  Ebenezer, 
Hither  by  thy  help  I've  come, 
And  I  hope  by  thy  good  pleasure, 
Safely  to  arrive  at  home. '  " 

The  spiritual  destitution  in  many  parts  of 
the  country  was  at  that  time  very  great,  the 
labourers  being  so  few  compared  with  the 
wide  extent  of  the  field  needing  cultivation. 
The  godly  men  whose  souls  were  flaming  with 
zeal  for  the  conversion  of  sinners,  and  who 
were  performing  Herculean  labours  in  order 
to  present  the  Great  Salvation  to  as  many  as 
possible,  were  yet  distressed  in  spirit,  thinking 
of  those  to  whom  there  was  none  to  carry  the 
joyful  sound.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Madden, 
then  Presiding  Elder  on  that  district,  who 
having  been  aware  of  the  struggle  going  on 
for  so  many  months  in  Mr.  Richardson's  mind, 
and  having  been  anxious  for  the  result,  now 
hailed  the  decision  with  much  satisfaction? 


101 

and  hastened  to  secure  to  the  church  the 
services  of  go  promising  a  man. 

Mr.  Madden  being  then  in  want  of  a  second 
preacher  for  the  Yonge  Street  circuit,  at  that 
time  in  charge  of  the  Rev.  William  H.Williams, 
he  (Mr.  Madden)  proposed  to  Mr.  Richard- 
son not  to  wait  till  the  next  Annual  Confer- 
ence before  entering  the  work,  but  to  go  out 
that  year  [1824]  under  the  Presiding  Elder, 
as  Mr.  Williams'  assistant.  The  circuit  was 
very  large  including  the  Town  of  York  [now 
Toronto]  and  extending  through  eight  town- 
ships, also  embracing  some  parts  of  others, 
consequently  the  exegencies  of  the  work  there 
very  much  required  the  aid  of  another  preach- 
er. Mr.  Richardson  believing  that  he  had 
been  called  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  the  work, 
and  having  determined  in  the  fear  of  God  to 
yield  to  the  holy  calling,  felt  himself  subject 
to  orders  and  consented  to  the  arrangement. 
His  departure,  journey,  &c.,we  give  in  his 
own  words. 

"In  the  month  of  September  1824,  after 
arranging  my  affairs,  disposing  of  stock  and 
household  goods,  other  than  what  I  took  with 


102 

me,  putting  a  tenant  into  my  house  and  a 
deputy  into  the  Collector's  office,  preparatory 
to  resigning  it ;  I  took  leave  of  the  endear- 
ments of  home,  of  my  dear  father  and  other 
relations  and  friends,  and  embarked  on  board 
a  small  schooner  of  about  30  tons,  with  my 
dear  wife  and  the  three  lovely  children  with 
which  the  Lord  had  blessed  us  during  our 
sojourn  at  Presque  Isle,  besides  a  few  things 
for  housekeeping,  and  in  about  two  days  we 
anchored  in  York  harbour.  "We  landed  in 
the  night.  It  was  dark  and  raining,  plenty 
of  mud,  but  no  carriage  in  waiting.  I  went 
ahead  to  the  residence  of  my  wife's  father, 
on  the  corner  of  King  and  Yonge  streets. 
Mr.  Dennis  taking  a  lantern,  immediately 
went  forth  with  me.  We  met  my  wife  and 
children  trudging  through  the  mud  and  rain. 
James  Henry  in  his  mother's  arms  and  the 
little  girls  following  as  best  they  could,  Sarah 
Jane  minus  a  shoe,  which  had  come  ofFin  the 
mud  while  crossing  Wellington  street.  No 
sidewalks  nor  McAdamizing  in  those  days." 

Through  the  mercy  of  God,  here  we  were, 
snugly  quartered  at  last,  but  no  parsonage, 


103 

nor  other  house  available  for  our  residence. 
I  had  entered  indeed  upon  the  field  of  ray 
future  labor,  but  we  were  homeless  except  as 
sheltered  for  the  time  being  by  my  wife's 
parents.  Mr.  Dennis  having  a  small  dilapi- 
dated house  that  had  been  once  a  dwelling, 
but  was  now  used  as  a  joiner's  shop,  generous- 
ly offered  the  use  of  it  rent  free,  while  I  served 
on  the  circuit,  if  I  could  so  fit  it  up  as  to  live 
in  it.  Seeing  no  alternative  I  went  to  work*" 
assisted  by  my  wife,  and  after  two  or  three 
weeks  hard  labor,  and  an  expenditure  of 
about  twenty  dollars,  succeeded  in  rendering 
the  old  house  a  tolerably  comfortable  dwell- 
ing for  us  during  the  two  years  of  our  stay 
on  the  Yonge  street  circuit." 

We  found  the  brethren  and  sisters  in  the 
Town  very  kind  and  ready  to  show  all 
Christian  courtesies,  but  too  few  in  number 
and  sufficiently  burthened  with  their  own 
necessities,  to  render  much  aid  in  sustaining 
the  cause.  We  found  however  their  hearts 
open,  and  the  more  so  the  longer  we  sojourn- 
ed amongst  them,  and  this  went  far  to  console 
my  dear  wife,  and  to  reconcile  her  to  the 


104 

change  of  circumstances  which  a  sense  of  duty 
had  imposed  upon  us." 

The  facts  here  presented  afford  a  glimpse 
of  the  trials  encountered  by  the  first  itinerant 
preachers  and  their  families,  in  this  country  : 
and  which  are  indeed  to  some  considerable 
extent,  still  experienced  by  those  who  are 
earliest  in  following  the  settlers  into  the 
remote  settlements.  And  not  a  few  of  them 
»have  had  to  endure  much  greater  hardships 
than  any  of  those  related  by  Mr.  Kichardson. 
But  when  we  consider  the  temporal  sacrifices 
made  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richardson  in  leaving 
a  pleasant  and  commodious  home,  and  a  large 
circle  of  esteemed  and  appreciating  friends ; 
and  also  the  resignation  by  Mr.  R.,  of  lucra- 
tive and  honorable  offices,  in  order  to  enter 
the  Methodist  ministry,  we  are  impressed  with 
the  genuine  spirit  of  self-devotion  and  love, 
thereby  manifested  by  them  for  the  cause  of 
God,  and  the  salvation  of  the  people.  Nor 
was  theirs  by  any  means  an  isolated  instance 
of  the  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  among  those 
pioneer  Methodists. 

The  reader  may   gain    some   idea   of  the 


105 

Bishop's  first  circuit,  and  the  difficulty  of  travel- 
ling at  that  period,  from  the  following 
extract  : 

"My  field  of  labour,  besides  embracing  the 
capital  of  the  Province,  extended  up  Yonge 
street  to  Lake  Simcoe,  about  forty-five  miles. 
Thence  easterly  through  the  townships  of 
Markham,  Scarboro,  Pickering,  Whitby  and 
Darlington,  to  the  edge  of  Clark,  with  lateral 
excursions  to  the  right  and  left,  for  eight  or 
ten  miles  more  or  less  in  various  places.  The 
stato  of 'the  roads  precluding  the  use  of  car- 
riages, except  to  a  very  limited  extent,  this 
large  circuit  had  to  be  travelled  on  horseback, 
the  preacher  carrying  his  books,  writing 
materials,  changes  of  linen,  &c.,  in  the  his- 
toric saddle-bags." 

"The  first  winter,  that  of  1824-25,  was 
such  as  I  have  never  seen  either  before  or 
since.  Not  a  day  of  real  good  sleighing  on 
my  circuit  during  the  whole  winter,  but 
mud  holes  in  plenty,  so  that  the  roads  were 
almost  impassable.  During  the  months  of 
December  and  January  it  was  exceedingly 
hard  work  to  reach  our  appointments.  And 


106 

it  being  almost  impossible  to  reach  the  town 
with  any  kind  of  vehicle,  the  citizens  got 
scarcely  any  supplies  from  the  country. 
The  ordinary  price  of  good  firewood  was  but 
$1.50  per  cord,  yet  a  cart-load  of  refuse  wood 
picked  up  on  the  commons  would  sell  for  a 
dollar ;  such  was  the  difficulty  in  getting  the 
better  article  to  market." 

6'  The  most  disheartening  feature  of  my 
labours  in  1824,  was  the  demoralized  con- 
dition of  the  circuit.  It  had  been  run  over 
and  trampled  down.  The  class  papers  had 
been  neglected,  and  in  several  places  were  not 
forthcoming  at  all.  Complaints  of  immoral 
character  abounded.  Indifference  to  the 
stated  means  of  grace  was  prevalent  in  many 
places ;  and  especially  so  in  the  eastern  sec- 
tion in  the  townships  of  Pickering,  Whitby 
and  Darlington." 

"  The  entire  amount  raised  for  the  support  of 
the  preachers  in  the  whole  range  of  these  three 
townships  during  the  year,  did  not  exceed  two 
dollars  and  twenty  cents ;  while  here  our  rides 
were  longer  and  our  labors  more  try  ing,  than  in 
the  western  part  of  the  work.  The  whole 


107 

amount  of  my  dividend  for  my  year's  services 
was  about  $100.00  including  everything.  A 
small  amount  out  of  which  to  feed  and  clothe 
my  family,  feed  my  horse,  and  pay  for  house 
and  travelling  expenses.  Nevertheless  the 
Lord  favoured  us  with  health  and  strength 
and  a  resigned  will." 

What  would  some  of  our  preachers  and 
preachers  wives,  in  these  days,  say  to  such  a 
state  of  things  ?  There  is  reason  to  believe 
that  too  many  of  them  would  be  found  flying 
off  at  right  angles.  This  remark,  however, 
is  not  designed  either  to  commend,  or  excuse 
the  conduct  of  the  people  to  whom  the  bishop 
refers.  Far  from  it.  Such  penuriousness  is 
nearly  akin  to  dishonesty,  if  it  is  not  that 
very  thing.  It  is  a  sin  against  God  and  His 
church,  and  should  be  reprobated  as  such  by 
every  Christian  in  the  land. 

But  unfortunately  for  the  cause  of  Christ 
there  are  careless  ministers  to  be  found,  as 
well  as  stingy  church  members.  It  is  lament- 
able that  there  are  in  all  the  denominations, 
those  who  apparently  do  not  care  for  the  sal- 
vation of  souls,  although  they  occupy  a  place 


108 

in  the  ministry  of  the  church.  In  the  Meth- 
odist church  there  are  some  who  pay  but  little 
attention  to  the  class  papers,  or  to  the  spirit- 
uality of  the  membership.  The  parsonage 
property  is  allowed  to  become  dilapidated ;  and 
the  general  connexional  interests  are  neglect- 
ed. In  fact,  to  judge  from  their  conduct,  it 
would  appear  that  the  thought  they  bestow 
upon  the  church  seldom  gets  much  beyond 
preaching  pleasantly  to  tickle  the  ears  of  their 
hearers,  being  careful  not  to  disturb  their  con- 
scien^es.  And  yet  these  are  the  men  who  are 
constantly  boring  the  Bishops  and  Presiding 
Elders  for  good  circuits  and  easy  work.  Such 
pastors  are  always  expecting  the  conference  to 
give  them  the  choice  circuits,  while  they  not 
only  never  build  up  circuits,  but  they  often 
destroy  during  their  stay  upon  a  circuit  what 
has  been  accomplished  by  other  careful,  labori- 
ous brethren  in  preceding  years.  Men  who 
cannot,  or  will  not  labour  to  extend  and 
strengthen  the  cause,  should  be  politely  re- 
quested by  the  people  and  conference  to  locate. 
The  writer  recalls  perplexing  reminiscences 
of  his  experience  when  on  "the  Stationing 


109 

Committee  with  Bishops  Smith  and  Richard- 
son, when  the  conference  had  left  men  on 
their  hands  with  whom  they  could  not  tell 
what  to  do,  consistently  with  their  conscien- 
cious  regard  for  the  interests  of  the  work. 
They  would  ask — "  Where  can  we  station 
them,  that  the  church  may  receive  the  least 
damage  by  their  stay  for  the  year?  The 
conference  too  often,  in  sympathy  with  the 
man,  forgets  the  requirements  of  the  Lord's 


cause." 


The  Bishop  concludes  his  remarks  respect- 
ing his  first  circuit  as  follows. 

u  My  colleague  Rev.  William  H.  Williams 
was  a  thorough  working  man,  bland  and 
generous ;  unburthened  with  a  family,  he 
was  at  home  wherever  night  overtook  him. 
He  was  an  excellent  colleague,  and  applied 
himself  vigorously  to  trimming  up  the  circuit. 
By  a  judicious  administration  of  discipline, 
we  presented  the  circuit  much  improved,  and 
the  societies  much  advanced  in  piety  and 
Christian  life,  though  not  in  numbers." 

Thus  ended  the  first  year  of  Mr.  Richard- 
son's ministry.  It  was  one  of  toil,  mental 


110 

trial  and  small  financial  remuneration.  But 
having  entered  the  Lord's  vineyard,  and 
covenanted  to  devote  himself  to  the  work  of 
the  Master,  he  did  not  regard  his  faithfulness, 
or  diligence  as  subject  to  the  condition  of  his 
receiving  an  abundance  of  earthly  things. 
He  was  contented  to  accept  the  Lord's  pro- 
mise, and  to  wait  for  the  stipulated  reward, 
viz  :  il  The  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is, 
and  that  which  is  to  come/'  And  most  faith- 
fully has  the  promise  been  fulfilled  to  our 
dear  departed  brother.  Mr.  Richardson  con- 
tinues :  "  At  the  ensuing  annual  Conference 
(1825)  I  was  admitted  on  trial,  and  put  in 
charge  of  the  same  Yonge  Street  circuit  with 
Rev.  Egerton  Ryerson  for  an  assistant,  who, 
like  myself,  had  this  year  been  admitted  on 
trial. 

The  circuit  had  this  year  been  reduced  by 
the  separation  from  it  of  the  eastern  section, 
which  enabled  us  to  devote  more -time  and 
labour  to  the  town  of  York.  A  more  agree- 
able and  useful  colleague  I  could  not  have  de- 
sired. We  laboured  together  with  one  heart 
and  mind,  and  God  was  graciously  pleased  to 


Ill 

crown  our  united  efforts  with  success — we 
doubled  the  members  in  society,  both  in  town 
and  country,  and  all  was  harmony  and  love. 
Political  questions  were  not  rife — indeed  were 
scarcely  known  among  us.  The  church  was 
an  asylum  for  any  who  feared  God  and 
wrought  righteousness,  irrespective  of  any 
party  whatever.  We  so  planned  our  work  as 
to  be  able  to  devote  one  week  out  of  four  ex- 
clusively to  pastoral  labour  in  the  town,  and 
to  preach  there  twice  every  Sabbath,  besides 
meeting  all  the  former  appointments  in  the 
townships  east  and  west  bordering  on  Yonge 
Street  for  45  or  50  miles  northward  to  Roach's 
Point,  Lake  Simcoe. 

"  This  prosperous  and  agreeable  state  of 
things  served  to  reconcile  both  my  dear  wife 
and  myself  to  the  itinerant  life,  with  all  the 
attendant  privations  and  hardships  incident 
to  those  times. 

"  It  pleased  God  on  the  29th  of  December, 
this  year,  1825,  to  add  another  son — Robert, 
to  my  other  sweet  children  ;  and  a  fine  boy 
he  was.  And  although,  at  the  age  of  four 
and  a  half  years,  the  same  Divine  Being  who 


112 

gave,  saw  it  wise  and  good  to  remove  him 
from  us  by  death,  nevertheless,  we  are  fain 
to  believe  it  will  enhance  our  felicity  in  the 
eternal  world  of  joy,  to  which  we  have  every 
reason  to  believe  he  was  thus  early  trans- 
lated." 

The  Conference  of  1826,  was  held  in  the 
township  of  Hamilton,  about  three  miles 
north  of  the  present  site  of  Cobourg ;  and 
again  the  venerable  Bishop  George  presided. 

Kev.  Nathan  Bangs  was  also  present  at  this 
Conference.  He  came  officially,  in  order  to 
interest  the  preachers  in  the  circulation  of 
the  New  York  Christian  Advocate,  which  he 
succeeded  in  doing.  Of  the  preachers  there 
assembled,  there  was  none  probably  who  took 
a  deeper  interest  in  the  circulation  of  that 
paper  than  did  Mr.  Richardson.  It  may  be 
remarked,  en  passant,  that  the  paper  was  well 
received  throughout  the  province. 

Mr.  Richardson  was,  this  year,  sent  to  labor 
at  Fort  George  and  Queen  ston.  Here  the 
societies  were  small,  and  not  very  well  able 
to  support  their  preacher.  There  was  no 
parsonage,  and  again  he  had  to  make  such 


113 

provision  as  he  could  for  his  family.  The 
Minutes  show  that  he  had  but  36  members 
on  which  to  depend  for  support ;  nevertheless 
both  he  and  Mrs.  Richardson  went  cheerfully 
to  the  work  assigned  them  by  the  Conference. 
His  labors  on  this  circuit  were  circumscribed 
within  much  more  narrow  limits  than  on  his 
preceding  one;  being  confined  to  Niagara, 
Queenston, — "  seven  miles  up  the  river  and 
the  cross  roads  four  miles  westerly. 

During  the  year  there  were  riot  more  than 
fifty  souls  under  his  pastoral  care.  The 
amount  raised  on  the  circuit  amounted  to 
about  $50.00,  and  a  little  more  was  added  at 
the  Conference ;  but  with  the  self-sacrificing 
spirit  of  the  times,  Mr.  Richardson  made  up 
the  deficiency  out  of  his  private  means,  and 
left  the  unpromising  field  at  the  end  of  the 
year,  having  reason  to  hope  that  his  year's 
labour  had  not  been  altogether  in  vain. 

In  1827  the  Conference  was  held  in  Hamil- 
ton, Gore  District,  now  the  city  of  Hamilton, 
Bishop  Hedding  presiding  Here  Mr.  Richard- 
son was  admitted  into  full  connection,  and  or- 
dained Deacon. 
8 


114 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  Mr.  Richardson's 
"  Parchment  of  Ordination."  the  large  wax 
seal  having  stamped  upon  it  the  initials  E.  H. 

"  KNOW  ALL  MEN  BY  THESE  PRESENTS— 

THAT  I,  Elijah  Hedding,  one  of  the  Bishops  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  America,  under  the 
protection  of  ALMIGHTY  GOD,  and  with  a  single  eye 
to  His  Glory,  by  the  imposition  of  my  hands  and 
prayer,  have  this  day  set  apart  James  Richardson 
for  the  office  of  a  DEACON  in  the  said  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  ;  a  man  whom  I  judge  to  be  well 
qualified  for  that  work  ;  and  I  do  hereby  recommend 
him  to  all  whom  it  may  concern,  as  a  proper 
person  to  administer  the  ordinances  of  Baptism 
Marriage,  and  the  Burial  of  the  Dead,  in  the  absence 
of  an  Elder ;  and  to  feed  the  flock  of  CHRIST,  so  long 
as  his  spirit  and  practice  are  such  as  become  the 
Gospel. 

IN  TESTIMONY  WHEREOF,  I  have  hereunto  set  my 
hand  and  seal,  this  second  day  of  September, 
One- thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-seven. 

(L.S.)  ELIJAH  HEDDING. 

Hamilton,  U.  C. 


115 

By  the  Conference  of  1827,  Mr.  Richardson 
was  removed  from  Fort  George  and  Niagara 
to  the  "  River  Credit ;"  his  own  account  of 
the  year's  work  on  this  interesting  field  of 
labor  is  brief,  and  as  follows  : 

"  My  destination  for  the  ensuing  year  was 
the  River  Credit,  as  missionary  to  the  Chip- 
pewa  Indians,  there  settled  in  log  dwellings 
which  the  Government,  two  years  previously, 
had  erected  for  their  accommodation  ;  the 
cost  being  charged  on  the  annuity  paid  for 
their  lands." 

"  These  poor  Indians,  numbering  between 
one  and  two  hundred,  had  been  brought, 
by  the  power  of  Gospel  truth,  from  the 
lowest  degradation  of  fallen  humanity — 
abandoned  indeed  to  drunkenness  and  de- 
bauchery— to  be  virtuous,  sober,  and  happy 
Christians.  They  were  now  God's  poor;  and 
though  my  fare  among  them  was  coarse  and 
scanty,  I  spent  the  year  with  cheerfulness, 
and  hope  that  my  labors  contributed  to  bring- 
ing them  into  the  way  of  salvation." 

"  There  being  no  house  in  which  I  could 
place  my  family,  I  was  forced  to  billet  them 


116 

on  my  good  father  and  mother-in-law  in  the 
town  of  York-,  about  sixteen  miles  from  my 
mission,  till  I  could  erect  a  parsonage.  But 
here  was  a  puzzle — a  house  to  be  built,  but 
without  the  money  to  build  it,  except  $100, 
furnished  by  the  presiding  elder  Rev.  W. 
Case.  My  first  thought  was  to  employ  the 
Indians  to  cut  and  hew  the  pine  timber  of 
which  there  was  abundance  growing  in  the 
vicinity  ;  and  by  means  of  a  yoke  of  oxen 
which  they  possessed,  it  was  brought  to  the 
desired  spot,  where  under  the  direction  of  a 
carpenter  the  house  was  raised.  But,  oh ! 
the  task  I  had  to  get  these  children  of  nature 
out  every  morning,  and  keep  them  at  work 
through  several  hours  each  day.  They  ap- 
peared willing  and  began  cheerfully,  but  then 
they  would  fly  off  at  a  tangent,  or  loiter  at 
intervals,  so  that  winter  was  at  hand  ere  my 
house  showed  itself  erect,  nor  was  it  ready 
for  the  reception  of  my  family  before  the 
middle  of  January.  Then  I  moved  in  with- 
out a  chimney  or  plastered  walls,  the  parti- 
tions being  of  boards,  and  the  openings 
between  the  logs  chinked.  Yet  it  was  our 


117 

home  where  peace  and  comfort  predominated. 
To  meet  the  expenses  incurred  for  lumber, 
nails,  joiner  wcrk,etc.  which  amounted  to  about 
$250,  I  had  to  solicit  aid  from  the  gentlemen 
of  York,  many  of  them  outside  of  the  Metho- 
dist fraternity,  chiefly  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, who,  I  am  happy  to  say  for  the  most 
part  responded  cheerfully,  if  not  largely — 
small  subscriptions  being  in  those  times  the 
order  of  the  day. 

"  The  Indians — especially  the  women- 
suffered  severely  from  complaints  of  body,  in- 
duced mostly  from  change  in  the  modes  and 
habits  of  living.  The  winter  was  open,  and 
therefore  very  sloppy,  and  their  moccasins  of 
deer-skin  being  very  porous  would  let  in  the 
water.  The  pernicious  effect  of  this  was 
counteracted  while  sleeping  in  their  wigwams, 
by  the  fire  in  the  centre  acting  on  the  soles  of 
their  feet,  but  now  having  resorted  to  bedsteads 
away  from  the  fire,  in  imitation  of  civilized 
life,  the  effect  of  wet  feet  daily  evinced  itself 
in  sudden  attacks  of  inflammation  of  the  chest, 
of  which  several  died.  I  therefore  advised 
them,  either  to  return  to  the  camp  fire,  or  to 


118 

provide  themselves  with  strong  leather  boots 
or  shoes  like  the  white  people. 

The  summer  of  1828  was  remarkable  for  the 
prevalence  of  bilious  fever,  not  only  amongst 
the  Indians,  but  throughout  the  Province. 
Several  of  my  flock  fell  under  it  in  the  month 
of  August — the  type  in  some  cases  resembling 
yellow  fever.  It  was  a  fearful  and  gloomy 
season ;  yet  the  consolations  of  our  holy 
religion  in  the  dying  hour  evinced  its  genuine- 


ness." 


All  that  Mr.  Richardson  received  for  his 
year's  services — and  we  have  seen  how  arduous 
they  were — was  $200,  besides  a  salmon  now 
and  then,  presented  by  one  or  other  of  the 
grateful  Indians.  In  the  autumn  of  this  year 
(1828)  he  removed  again  to  York  with  his 
family,  where  he  could  make  them  more 
comfortable  than  was  possible  on  the  mission, 
and  awaited  the  action  of  the  ensuing  confer- 
ence which  was  at  hand 


CHAPTER  V. 


Conference  of  1828 — Mr.  Richardson  Secretary — Separation  from 
M.  E.  Church  in  America — Sent  to  Niagara — Extent  of  the 
circuit — Continued  second  year — Colleagues — State  of  circuit  at 
the  end  of  two  years — Family  afflictions  and  bereavements — 
Conference  of  1830— Ordination  to  elder's  orders — Why  not 
sooner — Bishop  Hedding  and  the  Conference — Stationed  at 
Kingston — Colleague — Conference  of  1831 — Appointed  P.  E. 
of  Niagara  District — Quarterly  meetings — Conversion  of  his 
eldest  daughter — Her  marriage  and  death — Remarkable  in- 
crease in  members — 1816 — Treaty  of  1820 — Conference  of 
1832 — Causes  leading  to  the  measure  then  initiated — Unwill- 
ingness to  consult  the  people — Mr.  Richardson  appointed 
Editor  of  Christian  Guardian — State  Grants  for  church  purposes 
— His  opposition — His  evidence  before  the  Committee  of  the 
House — Dissolves  his  connection  with  the  Conference. 


The  Conference  of  1828  was  held  in  Swit- 
zers  chapel,  Ernesto wn,  which  was  at  that 
time  embraced  in  the  Bay  of  Quinte  circuit 
It  commenced  its  session  on  the  2nd  of 
October.  Bishop  Hedding  presided  over  this 
memorable  conference  of  which  Mr.  Richard- 
son was  chosen  secretary.  What  his  views 
were  concerning  the  action  of  that  con- 
ference, regarding  the  separation  from  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  Uni- 

119 


120 

ted  States,  will  be  most  correctly  ascertained 
from  his  own  words  : 

u  At  this  conference  the  decisive  step  of 
separation  from  the  General  Conference  of 
the  M.  E.  Church  in  the  United  States  was 
taken.  We  resolved  ourselves  into  an  inde- 
pendent Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
Canada,  in  friendly  relations  towards  the 
former  body,  whose  General  Conference  had 
the  preceding  May,  conceded  to  us  the  right 
so  to  do." 

"  This  step  was  fraught  with  results,  for 
good  or  ill,  according  as  it  is  viewed  by  dif- 
ferent parties,  from  their  several  stand  points. 
It  was  deemed  necessary  then,  by  the  ma- 
jority, because  of  the  political  relations  of  the 
two  countries,  and  the  difficulty  attendant  on 
obtaining  our  legal  right  to  hold  church 
property,  and  solemnize  matrimony.  Others, 
viewing  the  church  as  Catholic,  or  Universal 
in  her  design  and  character,  judged  it  wrong 
to  limit  her  jurisdiction  by  national  or  muni- 
cipal boundaries.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the  re- 
sult to  Methodism,  in  Canada,  has  been  the  re- 
duction, and  for  a  time,  the  almost  annihila- 


121 

tion  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
A  state  of  things  not  contemplated  at  the 
time." 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  that  subse- 
quent experience  led  Mr.  Richardson  to  regret 
that  the  scheme  of  separation  had  ever  been 
agreed  to.  Though  designed  as  a  peace 
measure,  he  saw  that  instead  of  accomplishing 
the  desired  object,  it  had  acted  as  an  opening 
wedge  which  rendered  possible  several  serious 
consequences  to  both  bodies,  which  were 
not  at  the  time  contemplated  as  within  the 
range  of  probabilities.  Political  issues  iii 
each  country  were  subsequently  made  to 
hinge  on  this  action. 

In  Canada,  the  withdrawal  of  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  General  Conference  of  the  M.  E. 
Church  in  America,  was  made  by  certain 
parties  the  pretext  for  disregarding  the  agree- 
ment of  1820  ;  the  results  of  which  are  too 
well  known  to  require  recapitulation  here. 

Political  and  party  feeling  in  the  United 
States  on  the  subject  of  slavery  running  very 
high,  made  itself  felt  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  in  that  country.  In  1844,  the 


122 

Southern  conferences  of  that  church  demanded 
a  separation  from  the  body,  claiming  their 
right  to  do  so  upon  the  precedent  estab- 
lished in  the  arrangement  made  by  the 
parent  body  with  regard  to  the  Canada 
Conference.  Methodist  history  informs  us 
how  that  separation  was  effected,  and  the  con- 
sequences which  followed.  And  even  after 
this  lapse  of  time  there  is  still  a  spirit  of  un- 
rest and  fickleness  affecting  the  minds  and  con- 
duct of  many  Methodists,  both  in  this  country 
and  in  the  United  States,the  legitimate  fruit  of 
the  well  meant,  but  mistaken  legislation  of  this 
conference  of  1828. 

Mr.  Richardson  resumes  :  "  Not  having,  as 
we  judged,  a  man  fully  competent  to  govern 
us,  we  sought  abroad  for  a  Bishop,  and  our 
choice  fell  on  Dr.  Wilbur  Fisk,  of  the  New 
England  Conference,  The  Rev.  Egerton. 
Ryerson  was  deputed  to  wait  on  him  to  ob- 
tain his  acceptance  of  the  office,  but  much  to 
our  regret  he  declined.  Elder  Case  was  made 
General  Superintendent^^  tern,  without  epis- 
copal orders." 

It  may  be  well  in  this  connection  to  state, 


123 

that  about  this  time  Dr.  Bangs  was  also  in- 
vited to  become  a  Bishop  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  Canada,  but  he  also  de- 
clined. And  afterwards  the  Rev.  J.  B,  Strai- 
ten, of  the  New  York  Conference,  was  invited 
to  fill  the  office,  with  a  similar  result. 

At  the  Conference  of  1828  Mr.  Richardson 
was  appointed  to  the  "  Niagara  circuit."  This 
was  not  the  Fort  George  and  Niagara  circuit 
before  mentioned,  but  a  field  of  labor  entirely 
new  to  him,  which  received  its  name  from  the 
Niagara  country.  Some  idea  of  the  extent  of 
this  circuit  may  be  formed  by  the  following 
extract  from  Mr.  Richardson's  manuscript. 

"  It"  (the  circuitj  "  extended  from  the  old 
6  Warner's  chapel '  on  the  east  to  the  '  Fifty 
mile  creek  '  in  Saltfield  on  the  west,  and  em- 
braced the  townships  of  Niagara,  in  part, 
Grantham,  Clinton,  Grimsby,  Saltfleet,  in 
part,  Thorold,  South  Gainsboro,  Caistor  in 
part,  and  Canboro,  with  Dunnville  on  the 
Grand  River.  I  made  my  home  at  St. 
Catharines  it  being  head  quarters.  I  rented 
a  small  house  in  the  village  which  was  then 
a  town  in  embryo,  On  this  extensive  circuit 


I  remained  and  labored  two  years,  having  for 
colleague  the  first  year,  Joseph  Gatchel,  and 
the  second,  Edmund  Stoney.  The  brethren 
were  kind,  and  I  formed  a  pretty  general  ac- 
quaintance and  some  intimate  friendships. 
The  friendship  then  formed  with  Dr.  Beadle 
and  his  family,  was  terminated  only  by  his 
death  a  few  years  since.  My  labors  were,  I 
trust,  profitable,  and  the  effect  lasting.  I  left 
the  circuit  in  a  wholesome  and  prosperous  state. 
The  following  years  witnessed  an  extensive 
and  glorious  revival  of  the  work  of  God, 
Methodism  took  a  deep  hold  among  the  people 
throughout  that  region,  and  the  result  is 
strikingly  visible  at  the  present  day." 

Hitherto  the  family  of  Mr.  Richardson  had 
been  exempt  from  very  serious  affliction  or 
bereavement,  but  a  change  was  at  hand. 
Toward  the  close  of  his  second  year  on  this 
circuit  his  two  youngest  children  were  seized 
with  dysentery  of  such  a  malignant  type  that 
in  a  short  time  it  terminated  in  their  death. 
Mr.  Richardson  touchingly  refers  to  this 
bereavement  and  to  the  subsequent  illness  of 
other  members  of  his  family  in  the  following 
extract : 


125 

"About  3  o'clock  p.m.  the  grim  "  monster," 
entered  our  dwelling  and  seized  Robert  as  his 
victim,  and  at  8  o'clock  next  morning  Joseph 
breathed  his  last.  They  were  enclosed  in  the 
same  coffin,  the  younger  one  in  the  arms  of  the 
elder.  The  blow  was  severe,  and  the  bereav- 
ment  such,  that  at  times  I  felt  a  difficulty  in 
breathing,  so  heavy  was  the  burden  on  my 
heart,  yet  believing  that  our  Heavenly  Father 
had  some  wise  and  gracious  design  I  submitted 
to  the  blow  and  could  kiss  the  hand  that  in- 
flicted it." 

u  Our  trials  however  did  not  terminate 
with  the  death  of  these  children.  About  a 
week  after  their  interment,  my  eldest,  and 
now  only  son,  James  Henry,  was  brought  low 
with  an  attack  of  inflammatory  rheumatism, 
principally  in  his  knees ;  for  some  days  he  lay 
between  life  and  death.  He  however  rallied 
and  by  the  time  we  had  to  remove  from  the 
circuit  he  was  able  to  get  about  by  the  aid  of 
crutches.  The  disease  also  extended  to  my 
daughter  Sarah  Jane,  and  crippled  her  ankles 
and  feet  so  that  when  in  September  I  took  my 
family  to  Kingston,  whither  the  Conference 


126 

of  1830  had  sent  me,  she  had  to  be  conveyed 
by  the  boatmen  from  the  steamer  to  my 
brother's  house.  Happily  both  survived  to 
add  to  my  comfort  in  my  declining  years. 

The  Conference  of  1830  commenced  its 
session  on  the  17th  of  August,  at  Kingston. 
Bishop  Hedding  had  been  invited  to  attend, 
that  he  might  ordain  the  several  candidates 
who  had  been  elected  to  deacon's  and  elder's 
orders. 

Mr.  Richardson  having  been  ordained 
deacon  in  1827,  was  eligible  to  elder's  orders 
at  the  Conference  of  1829,  but  no  "  Bishop 
yet  been  elected  and  consecrated  by  the 
Canadian  body,  and  there  being  none  present 
from  the  parent  body,  the  conference  was 
compelled  to  defer  the  ordinations  until  either 
a  Bishop  from  the  M.  E.  Church  in  the  United 
States  could  be  in  attendance,  or  one  could  be 
elected  and  consecrated  to  the  episcopal  office 
for  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Canada. 

So  tenacious  was  the  Conference  of  ordina- 
tion by  a  Bishop  duly  consecrated  to  that 
office  by  the  imposition  of  hands,  that  the 
ordination  of  several  of  the  preachers  was  de- 


127 

ferred  from  year  to  year  after  they  had  been 
duly  elected  to  order,  till  a  bishop  regularly 
consecrated  could  be  had  to  officiate  it.  This 
being  while  they  had  a  General  Superinten- 
dent in  the  person  of  "  Elder  Case."  But 
owing  to  their  regard  for  this  truly  Wesleyan 
principle,  Bishop  Hedding  was  invited  to  at- 
tend the  Conference  of  1830  and  perform  those 
ordinations.  The  Conference  in  order  to  ex- 
press their  appreciation  of  the  fraternal  feel- 
ing existing  between  the  two  bodies,  as  mani- 
fested by  the  attendance  of  Bishop  Redding*, 
at  this  time  the  following  resolutions  were 
adopted.  "  Resolved,  1st.  That  this  Con- 
ference feel  highly  gratified  with  and  grateful 
for  the  visit  of  Bishop  Hedding  amongst  us." 

"  2nd.  That  he  is  respectfully  invited  to 
take  a  seat  in  this  Conference  and  to  assist  us 
by  his  counsel  and  advice." 

"  3rd.  That  Bishop  Hedding  is  most  re- 
spectfully requested  to  preside  during  the  re- 
ligious services  of  the  next  Sabbath,  and  to 
ordain  those  preachers  who  may  be  presented 
as  suitable  candidates  for  ordination." 

In  accordance  with  the  foregoing,  Bishop 


128 

Hedding  proceeded  with  the  ordination,  Mr. 
Richardson  being  one  of  those  ordained  to 
elder's  orders. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  parchment 
received  by  him  : 

"  KNOW  ALL  BY   THESE   PRESENTS   THAT  I  ELIJAH 

HEDDING,  one  of  the  Bishops  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  America,  under  the  protection  of 
ALMIGHTY  GOD,  and  with  a  single  eye  to  His  glory, 
by  the  imposition  of  my  hands  and  prayer,  being 
assisted  by  the  Elders  present,  have  this  day  set 
apart  James  Richardson  for  the  office  of  an  Elder 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Canada,  a 
man  who,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Conference  is  well 
qualified  for  the  work :  and  he  is  hereby  recom- 
mended to  all  whom  it  may  concern  as  a  proper 
person  to  administer  the  sacraments  and  ordinances 
and  to  feed  the  flock  of  Christ,  so  long  as  his  spirit 
and  practice  are  such  as  become  the  gospel  of  Christ. 
IN  TESTIMONY  WHEREOF  I  have  hereunto  set  my 
hand  and  seal  this  twenty-second  day  of  August,  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord  one-thousand  eight-hundred 
and  thirty. 

ELIJAH  HEDDING. 
Kingston,  TJ.  C." 

Mr.    Richardson    was    this  year  stationed 
at  Kingston.     His  colleague  was  Rev.  Richard 


129 

Jones.  The  circuit  was  a  large  one,  including 
besides  the  town,  a  range  of  adjacent  country 
on  the  west  as  far  as  a  place  called  SutclifFs 
School  House  and  Mill  Creek,  in  Ernes- 
town,  Loughboro,  and  Portland,  on  the 
north,  and  Gananoque  on  the  east.  On  this 
circuit  their  rides  were  long  and  fatiguing, 
owing  to  the  distance  between  the  appoint- 
ments ;  during  this  year  nothing  of  note  oc- 
curred. 

The  Conference  of  1831  was  held  in 
York,  commencing  31st  of  August.  Mr. 
Kichardson  was  appointed  Presiding  Elder  of 
the  Niagara  district,  which  necessitated  his 
removal  from  Kingston.  He  accordingly 
returned  to  York  where  he  rented  a  house, 
and  settled  his  family.  Having  in  former 
years  been  very  popular  as  a  pastor  on  several 
of  the  circuits  embraced  within  his  district, 
he  was  received  in  his  new  official  relation 
with  marked  satisfaction. 

The  quarterly  meetings  in  those  times 
were  seasons  of  peculiar  interest  and  religious 
power. 

The  Saturday  afternoon  business  meetings 
9 


130 

on  Mr.  Richardson's  district  were  well  attend- 
ed, as  were  also  the  Saturday  evening  prayer- 
meetings.  The  love-feast  and  administration 
of  the  Lord's  Supper  were  generally  attended 
by  powerful  awakenings  and  conversions. 

Another  very  efficient  means  of  grace  in 
those  early  days  was  the  annual  "  Watch 
Night/'  held  on  New  Year's  eve.  When 
properly  conducted  it  is  still  an  efficient 
means  of  grace. 

Mr.  Richardson  was  well  qualified  for 
conducting  such  meetings,  being  a  man,  who, 
while  thoroughly  in  earnest  in  his  work,  was 
possessed  of  a  well  balanced  judgment,  and 
prepared  to  check  anything  bordering  on 
fanaticism.  At  one  of  these  meetings  in  the 
old  red  church  at  the  west  end  of  Lundy's 
Lane  held  on  the  night  of  31st  December 
1831,  the  people  had  assembled  from  about 
the  "  Beech  Woods,"  "  Beaver  Dams,"  and 
around  the  Falls,  besides  some  from  other 
places  more  remote,  when  there  was  a  gracious 
outpouring  of  the  Spirit.  "  The  power  of 
God  was  present  to  heal."  Mr.  Richardson 
attended  and  took  charge  of  the  meeting. 


131 

He  had  taken  his  eldest  daughter,  Martha 
Ann,  with  him  on  this  tour  that  she  might 
revisit  some  of  her  former  acquaintances  in 
St.  Catharines,  and  she  was  with  him  at  this 
meeting,  where,  though  but  a  child  of  13,  she 
was  soundly  converted,  as  was  evinced  by 
her  subsequent  walk  and  conversation.  Her 
father  in  reference  to  this  event  remarks : 

"  She  returned  rejoicing  in  God  her  Saviour. 
The  scene  on  my  arrival  home,  has  impressed 
itself  on  my  memory.  It  was  about  10  o'clock 
p.m.,  and  while  I  was  busied  putting  my  horse 
in  the  stable,  Martha  had  proceeded  up  stairs 
to  her  mother's  bedrooom,  who  had  retired. 
As  I  ascended  the  stairway  I  heard  sobbing ; 
my  heart  throbbed  as  I  feared  it  was  caused 
by  some  calamity,  but  happily  my  fears  were 
turned  into  joy,  on  learning  that  the  mutual 
sobbing  resulted  from  happiness.  The  dear 
child,  in  her  anxiety  to  let  her  mother  know 
what  the  Lord  had  done  for  her  soul,  had  com 
municated  it  to  her ;  hence  the  tears  of  joy,  and 
sympathetic  burstings  of  heavenly  feeling 
which  none  but  those  of  heavenly  birth  can 
appreciate." 


132 

In  1834  Miss  Richardson  became  a  student 
in  the  Cazenovia  Seminary  in  the  State  of 
New  York.  While  there  she  acquitted  herself 
to  the  satisfaction  of  both  her  parents  and  her 
teachers.  It  was  here  she  met  with  Prof.  W. 
H.  Allen,  a  gentleman  who  has  distinguished 
himself,  especially  at  Dickenson  and  Girard 
Colleges;  of  the  latter  of  which  he  has  been  for 
many  years  the  honored  President.  The  ac- 
quaintance thus  formed  eventuated  in  their 
marriage  in  the  autumn  of  1836,  and  the 
happy  pair  bade  their  Toronto  friends  fare- 
well, Mr.  Richardson  accompanying  his 
daughter  to  the  wharf,  little  thinking  he 
should  see  her  face  on  earth  no  more.  In 
three  short  years — at  the  early  age  of  20,  she 
was  suddenly  removed  from  the  embrace  of 
her  tender  husband  and  loving  friends,  leav- 
ing behind  her  an  infant  eighteen  months  old. 
As  soon  as  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richardson  were 
apprised  of  the  dangerous  illness  of  their 
daughter  they  hastened  to  her.  But  an  ob- 
struction on  the  track  delayed  the  train,  and 
the  remains  of  Mrs.  Allen  had  been  consigned 
to  the  tomb  ere  they  reached  Carlisle,  the 


133 

place  of  her  husband's  residence.  The  in- 
telligence of  her  death  reached  the  afflicted 
parents  while  they  were  yet  on  their  journey, 
and  the  depth  of  their  sorrow  we  leave  to  the 
imagination  of  the  reader.  Even  in  extreme 
old  age  Mr.  Richardson  could  scarcely  speak  of 
this  beloved  daughter  without  being  deeply 
moved. 

But  to  return  to  the  work  of  the  district. 
The  year  passed  pleasantly  and  the  cause 
of  God  prospered.  Indeed  the  church  in  all 
parts  of  the  country  had  shared  largely  in  the 
revival  spirit,  as  the  Conference  returns  abun- 
dantly prove.  The  increase  in  the  connection 
during  the  year  wras  3,651.  "  The  ratio  here 
mentioned,  when  all  the  circumstances  are 
taken  into  account,  is  probably  unsurpassed  in 
the  annals  of  Methodism." 

After  speaking  of  the  very  prosperous  condi- 
tion of  the  church  during  the  Conference  year 
1831,  and  up  to  1832,  Mr.  Richardson  remarks : 

"  But  alas  !  we  were  approaching  an  event 
in  the  history  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  Canada,  which  by  the  relinquish- 
ment  of  Episcopacy  on  the  part  of  the  "  Con- 


134 

ference  "  (not  of  the  Church)  u  proved  nearly 
fatal  to  her  existence,  and  was  replete  with 
results  painful  to  contemplate.  Her  anni- 
hilation as  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
would  have  been  complete  but  for  the  perti- 
nacity, courage  and  devotion  of  the  remnant 
who  nobly  stood  forth  to  preserve  her  order 
and  her  name  in  the  land.'* 

"  The  origin  of  a  desire  to  effect  a  trans- 
formation of  Methodism  in  Canada  may  be 
traced  to  a  movement  in  the  year  1816,  when 
the  English  Conference  saw  fit.  for  reasons 
best  known  to  themselves,  to  furnish  men  and 
money  for  missionary  operations  in  a  country 
where  the  standard  of  Methodism  had  been 
unfurled  for  more  than  25  consecutive  years, 
and  under  that  order  of  church  government 
which  Mr.  Wesley  had  himself  prepared  and 
furnished  to  the  societies  in  America.  In 
fact,  the  only  order  of  church  polity  he  ever 
formed  or  provided  for  the  people  called  Metho- 
dists in  either  Europe  or  America.  These 
Missionaries  planted  themselves  in  the  midst 
of  the  original  societies,  and  fields  of  labor  al- 
ready formed  and  spiritually  cultivated  by 


135 

the  self-denying  and  laborious  ministers  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  this 
manner  were  the  seeds  of  discord  first  sown 
among  the  Methodists  of  Canada,  and  the  as- 
pect of  two  kinds  of  Methodists  was  first  be- 
held by  the  wondering  world,  and  the  afflict- 
ed and  divided  societies  in  these  Provinces  ; 
and  although  the  mischief  attendant  on  this 
state  of  things  was  much  mitigated  by  the  re- 
moval of  the  English  missionaries  to  Lower 
Canada,  with  the  exception  of  one  at  Kingston 
—retained  there  contrary  to  the  Methodist 
treaty  of  1820 — the  previous  unity  of  Metho- 
dism in  Canada  was  never  fully  restored." 

The  Conference  of  1832  assembled  at  Hallo- 
well,  commencing  its  session  on  the  8th  of 
August.  It  was  at  this  Conference  that  the 
question  of  a  union  between  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  and  the  English  Conference, 
was  discussed,  the  subject  having  been  intro- 
duced at  a  meeting  of  the  Missionary  Board 
held  at  York  some  time  previously. 

To  the  general  principle  of  union  Mr. 
Richardson  gave  his  assent,  although  he  was 
not  altogether  satisfied  with  some  of  the  pro- 
posed details  of  the  plan  laid  before  them. 


13(5 

Resolutions  were,  however,  finally  adopted 
as  a  basis  of  union  between  the  two  bodies, 
and  an  agent  appointed  to  proceed  to  England 
to  negotiate  with  the  English  Conference  on 
the  subject.  The  measure  was  hurried 
through  without  consulting  the  societies  or 
ascertaining  their  wishes  in  the  matter. 

Mr.  Richardson,  Philander  Smith,  Franklin 
Medcalf  and  some  others  would  have  been 
better  satisfied  had  the  societies  been  con- 
sulted, but  the  majority  decided  that  it  was 
not  necessary  to  do  this  until  it  was  ascer- 
tained whether  the  English  Conference  would 
consent  to  the  proposed  measure.  Such 
reasoning  appeared  plausible,  but  from  what 
followed  in  1833  it  is  evident  that  the  un- 
willingness to  consult  the  people  at  this 
juncture  sprang  from  a  different  motive. 

Mr.  Alder  was  present  at  the  Conference  of 
1832,  and  was  also  before  the  Mission  Board 
at  York,  though  not  as  an  accredited  delegate 
from  the  English  Conference.  His  real 
business  in  Canada  was  to  negotiate,  as  agent 
of  the  latter  bod}^  with  the  Lieutenant 
Governor  in  order  to  secure  public  funds  from 
the  revenue  of  the  country  to  assist  the 


137 

English  Conference  to  extend  their  missions 
into  Upper  Canada,  contrary  to  the  express 
stipulations  of  the  Methodist  treaty  of  1820. 

Mr.  Alder  was  an  accomplished  diplomatist, 
and  that  no  objection  might  be  made  to  his 
monetary  arrangement  with  Sir  John  Col- 
borne,  it  was  not  made  public,  till  a  more 
convenient  season. 

Mr.  Richardson,  Mr.  Smith,  and  others 
being  in  ignorance  of  the  negotiations  going 
on  between  Mr.  Alder  and  the  Governor,  ac- 
cepted their  appointments  as  usual,  hoping 
that  the  union  it*  consummated,  would  in  no 
wise  compromise  the  civil  and  religious  rights 
of  either  the  preachers,  or  the  people, 

At  this  conference  (1832)  Mr.  Richardson 
was  appointed  editor  of  the  Christian  Guar- 
dian, a  religious  paper  commenced  under  the 
direction  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  Canada.  The  first  number  of  this  paper 
was  issued  November  21st.,  1829,  Rev. 
Egerton  Ryerson  being  the  first  editor. 

Mr.  Richardson  entered  on  his  editorial 
work  in  the  first  week  in  September,  1832, 
and  at  once  gave  no  uncertain  sound,  so  far 


138 

as  his  views  were  concerned,  relative  to  the 
propriety  of  receiving  state  grants  for  church 
purposes,  as  the  following  extract  from  one  of 
his  editorials  shows  : 

"  We  have  long  been  convinced  that  support- 
ing the  ministry  of  the  gospel  from  the  pub- 
lic treasury  is  not  only  a  misapplication  of 
the  public  funds,  but  also  a  serious  evil  to 
the  church.  It  may  indeed  help  to  keep 
up  an  appearance  of  prosperity  in  the  exten- 
sion, and  splendour  of  her  institutions  ;  in  the 
power,  opulence,  and  even  learning  of  her 
clergy  ;  but  at  the  same  time  it  tends  to  cor- 
rupt her  ministry  by  producing  impurity  in 
their  motives,  lukewarmness  in  their  affec- 
tions, indifference  to  their  work,  disregard  to 
the  opinions  and  feelings  of  their  people,  and 
consequently  a  neglect  of  duty,  and  relaxa- 
tion of  discipline :  and  the  head  being  sick 
the  heart  becomes  faint." 

Again,  in  the  Guardian  of  September  26th, 
1832,  while  commenting  upon  the  efforts 
which  were  then  being  made  by  the  clergy 
of  the  Church  of  England  to  secure  the 
Clergy  Reserves  for  themselves,  and  to  have 


139 

their   denomination    made    the    Established 
Church  in  Canada,  he  remarks  : 

"A  regard  for  the  interests  of  religion  it- 
self, as  well  as  the  permanent  tranquility 
and  prosperity  of  the  country,  should  prompt 
all  concerned  to  make  a  vigorous,  timely,  and 
we  trust,  final  effort  for  such  a  disposition  of 
said  reserves,  as  may  forever  prevent  their 
becoming  a  source  of  contention  and  corrup- 
tion, as  well  as  danger  to  the  best  interests 
of  the  Province,  by  being  either  thrown  open 
for  location  by  actual  settlers,  or  appropriated 
to  the  promotion  of  education  in  general,  and 
internal  improvement  of  the  country." 

<;  We  would  not  be  understood,  from  these 
remarks,  as  entertaining  any  hostility  to- 
wards the  Church  of  England,  as  such;  no 
such  thing ;  we  would  express  our  opinion 
and  disapprobation  of  any  attempt  at  like 
means  of  support  and  monopoly,  if  made  to 
the  'church  to  which  we  belong,  in  more 
severe  terms.  We  consider  such  a  provision 
not  only  unnecessary,  but  detrimental  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  church  itself." 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  from  the  outset 


140 

of  his  editorial  career,  he  was  the  fearless  op- 
ponent of  a  state  paid  ministry,  whether  the 
funds  were  derived  from  the  Clergy  Reserves 
or  from  the  Casual  and  Territorial  Revenue, 
and  that  he  thus  through  his  paper  became  a 
"  guardian "  of  the  people's  rights.  How 
faithfully  and  consistently  he  subsequently 
carried  out  the  views  then  so  openly  express- 
ed, his  actions,  a  few  years  later,  abundantly 
proved.  He  was  no  trickster.  Straightforward 
in  everything  he  said,  or  did,  he  had  no  sym- 
pathy with  the  morality  of  any  party,  who 
while  professing  to  be  opposed  to  state  grants 
for  religious  purposes,  would  nevertheless 
justify  the  reception  of  such  grants  by  breth- 
ren associated  with  them,  and  consent  to  reap 
the  benefit  of  funds  so  derived." 

As  the  accredited  organ  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  Canada,  the  Guardian 
exercised  considerable  influence  in  the  country. 
Mr.  Richardson's  fearless  opposition  to  the 
reception  of  Government  support  to  the 
churches,  afforded  very  great  satisfaction  to 
a  people  struggling  for  their  rights,  at  the 
same  time  it  elicited  violent  opposition  from 


the  friends  of  church  and  state  connection, 
among  whom  was  Rev.  John  Barry,  a  mis- 
sionary in  the  employment  of  the  English 
Conference.  Mr.  Barry  came  out  in  defence 
of  the  reception  of  state  grants,  and  a  spirited 
controversy  on  the  subject  ensued  between 
him  and  Mr.  Richardson,  Mr.  Barry's  articles 
being  published  in  the  Courier.  This  was  the 
first  intimation  that  the  Canadian  public  had 
of  the  fact  that  grants  were  made  by  the 
Government  to  the  Wesleyans,  or  accepted  by 
them  to  be  expended  on  their  missions  in  the 
Province ;  still  it  was  not  supposed,  even  after 
the  appearance  of  Mr.  Barry's  articles,  that 
in  the  event  of  the  contemplated  union  tak- 
ing place  between  the  two  bodies,  the  Canada 
Conference  would  become  implicated  in  the 
reception  of  such  grants,  or  justified  in  any 
way  in  their  reception  on  the  part  of  the 
Missionaries. 

In  the  Guardian  of  July  3rd,  1833,  Mr. 
Richardson  again  gave  expression  to  his 
views  on  this  subject,  while  commenting  on 
the  action  of  the  Presbyterian  Synod  of  that 
year  in  accepting  Government  grants. 


142 

';  So  then  the  bait  has  taken — the  majority 
of  the  Presbyterian  Synod  of  Upper  Canada 
have  accepted  the  proffered  boon  from  the 
Executive  of  this  Province,  mentioned  by  us 
a  few  weeks  since.  We  had  indulged  some 
hope  that  this  respectable  body  of  ministers 
— most  of  them  seceders  from  the  Kirk  of 
Scotland — were  possessed  of  sufficient  discern- 
ment of  mind,  and  regard  for  themselves, 
their  people,  and  the  interests  of  this  Pro- 
vince at  large,  to  induce  them  to  refuse  the 
tender  made ;  and  we  sincerely  regret  that 
they  have  not  done  so." 

After  arguing  the  case  at  some  length  Mr. 
Richardson  continues  : 

"It  is  clear  that  nothing  can  be  more 
dangerous  to  the  liberties  of  the  country,  or 
more  at  variance  with  the  principles  of 
British  freedom,  than  the  irresponsible,  and 
uncontrolled  disposing  of  the  public  funds. 
Could  such  a  thing  exist  in  Britain  ?  What 
would  the  Parliament  there  say  to  the  grant- 
ing of  the  public  moneys  without  legislative 
authority  ?  And  shall  that  be  practised  in 
Canada  which  would  not  be  tolerated  in 


143 

Britain  for  a  moment,  because  a  direct  in- 
fringement upon  the  Great  Charter  of  English 
liberty  ?  and  tell  it  not  in  Gath,  Christian 
Ministers  too,  receive  and  divide  the  spoil !  1 
It  is  high  time  the  people  were  awake  to 
this  evil — this  source  of  fearful,  incalculable 
evil  to  our  country.  The  church  and  the 
state  will  alike  suffer,  unless  this  granting 
and  appropriating  of  all  public  moneys  be 
strictly  regulated  by  legislative  enactments." 

*  #  *  #  *  H 

"  Greatly  as  we  deprecate  the  evil  of  an  es- 
tablished church  we  would  much  prefer  one, 
especially  the  Church  of  England,  under  pro- 
per and 'definite  enactments,  than  the  arbitrary 
and  partial  patronage  of  several.  The  former 
can  never  become  so  detrimental  to  the  peace 
and  happiness  of  the  country  as  the  latter." 

The  Conference  of  1 833  met  at  York  on 
the  2nd  of  October. 

Eev.  Egerton  Ryerson  was  elected  Secre- 
tary instead  of  Mr.  Richardson,  who  had  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  that  responsible  office 
since  1828,  a  change  which  was  indicative  of 
other  and  more  serious  ones  which  were  to 


144 

follow,  the  character  of  some  of  which  Mr. 
Richardson  had  no  conception. 

As  soon  as  the  Conference  was  fairly  open- 
ed the  subject  of  union  was  introduced. 
Rev.  E,  Ryerson,  the  delegate  of  the  M.  E. 
Church  in  Canada  who  had  been  sent  to  ne- 
gotiate with  the  English  Conference  concern- 
ing Union,  had  only  just  returned  from  his 
mission.  He  brought  in  his  report,  followed 
by  a  captivating  speech  in  favor  of  the  articles 
of  Union,  and  the  measure  was  driven  through 
with  a  rush,  there  being  no  time  taken  for 
careful  consideration  of  it,  nor  were  the  laity 
consulted  till  the  work  was  done. 

The  name  taken  by  the  new  body  was  the 
Wesleyan  Methodist  Church  in  British  North 
America. 

Mr.  Marsden,  a  gentleman  sent  out  as 
President  by  the  English  Conference,  took 
his  seat  and  presided  over  the  new  organiza- 
tion. 

With  others,  Mr.  Richardson  consented  to 
the  proposed  union,  though  he  would  have 
preferred  that  the  societies  had  been  consult- 
ed first.  Knowing  nothing  of  the  schemes 


145 

which  had  been,  or  were  being  conserted,  be- 
tween the  Executive  and  his  brethren  in  the 
ministry,  whom  he  had  hitherto  trusted  so 
implicitly,  he  thus  expresses  himself  in  the 
Guardian  of  Oct.  9th,  1833. 

"  It  becomes  us  to  observe  that  when  the  pre- 
liminary arrangements  for  effecting  the  union 
were  under  consideration,  we  were  not  with- 
out our  fears  for  the  results.  Not  in  fear  of 
a  union  with  our  British  brethren,  for  this 
we  have  considered  most  desirable,  from  the 
first,  but  it  appeared  to  us  that  the  measures 
proposed  and  adopted  to  obtain  it  were  not 
advisable  or  expedient  and  would  ultimately 
fail  of  the  desired  end.  "  Further  on  how- 
ever, he  expresses  himself — as  being  now 
pleased  with  the  result,  evidently  desiring 
the  success  of  the  movement.  Honest  and 
conscientious  himself,  it  never  occurred  to 
his  mind  that  men  with  whom  he  had  acted 
so  long,  and  in  whom  he  reposed  such  con- 
fidence, were  about  to  change  their  principles 
in  relation  to  the  propriety  of  receiving  state 
grants  for  ministerial  support,  with  as  much 
readiness  as  they  had  changed  their  ecclesias- 
tical polity  and  name.  But  so  it  was.  10 


146 

In  process  of  time  he  had  the  mortification 
to  find  that  he  had  been  deceived,  that  the 
union  scheme  was  not  the  unexceptionable 
measure  he  had  been  led  to  believe  it  was, 
that  in  fact,  the  civil  and  religious  rights  of 
the  people  had  been  as  completely  betrayed 
by  some  of  his  associates,  as  the  expedition  of 
Commodore  Yeo  bad  been  by  the  traitor 
sergeant  and  his  companion. 

As  at  the  beginning  of  the  Conference,  Mr. 
Richardson,  as  Secretary,  had  been  super- 
seded by  Mr.  Ryerson,  so,  later  in  the  session, 
was  he  removed  from  the  editorial  manage- 
ment of  the  Guardian.  By  Mr.  Richardson's 
fearless  and  determined  opposition  to  the  ap- 
propriation of  the  public  funds  of  the  country 
by  the  Executive  and  their  being  diverted 
from  their  legitimate  use,  and  portions  of 
them  being  distributed  to  favored  cliques  for 
ministerial  support,  he  had  given  great  offence 
to  Mr.  Barry  and  the  party  whom  he  served  ; 
and  as  it  was  the  intention  of  the  English 
Conference  to  accept  the  Government  grant, 
and  expend  it  in  extending  their  Missionary 
work  in  Canada,  it  became  necessary  to  re- 


147 

move  Mr.  Richardson  from  the  control  of  the 
Guardian* 

Mr.  Richardson  was  appointed  to  York 
District,  and  entered  on  his  work  with  his 
usual  energy.  He  had  no  sooner  entered 
upon  his  labors  than  he  found  the  people 
strongly  opposed  to  the  union,  but  really  be- 
lieving that  it  would  result  in  good  to  the 
country,  he  strove  to  reconcile  the  societies 
to  the  action  of  the  Conference. 

But  his  confidence  was  to  be  rudely  shaken 
and  finally  destroyed.  When  he  learned  be- 
yond the  possibility  of  a  doubt  that  Mr.  Mars- 
den,  President  of  the  Conference,  had  received 
the,  since  famous,  £900  Government  grant, 
on  behalf  of  the  Missionary  Society,  and  saw 
that  the  Guardian  had  changed  its  tactics, 
and  was  now  justifying  state  appropriations 
to  religious  bodies,  he  was  filled  with  sorrow 
and  indignation.  His  first  fears  concerning 
the  advisability  of  the  formation  of  the  union 
returned  with  ten  fold  force  ;  but  he  was 
charitable  and  still  hoped  for  the  best. 

*  For  historical  account  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Conference  ot 
1833,  see  History  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Canada, 
page  278  and  following  pages. 


148 

The  newly  appointed  editor  having  come 
out  with  a  series  of  articles,  the  celebrated 
"  Impressions,  "  Mr.  Richardson  could  no 
longer  close  his  eyes  to  the  humiliating  fact 
that  the  cause  of  civil  and  religious  liberty 
had  been  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  the 
Church  and  State  partjr.  It  was  now  very 
evident  to  the  friends  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty  why  Mr.  Richardson  had  been  re- 
moved from  the  editorial  chair.  The  brave 
soldier,  the  devoted  minister  of  Christ,  who 
had  fought  and  bled  so  nobly  for  his  native 
country  in  early  manhood,  and  who  was  now 
equally  jealous  for  the  honor  of  his  Divine 
Master,  was  exceedingly  grieved.  For  three 
years  he  worked  hard  to  bring  his  brethren 
back  to  their  former  honorable  position  in 
relation  to  the  "  Grants,  "  but  to  no  purpose. 

The  agents  of  the  English  Conference 
sympathized  with  the  "  Family  Compact," 
and  these  with  several  of  the  Canadian 
preachers  were  playing  into  the  hands  of  the 
dominant  party,  the  "  Compact"  through  an 
irresponsible  Executive,  who  was  furnishing 
the  agents  of  the  Missionary  Society  in  turn, 


149 

with  the  public  money  in  direct  opposition 
to  the  House  of  Assembly.  How  this  state 
of  things  created  the  dissatisfaction  and  ex- 
citement which  culminated  in  the  revolt  of 
1837  we  leave  to  history  ;  it  is  only  necessary 
to  refer  to  it  here  so  far  as  it  concerned 
Mr.  Richardson,  who  was  called  before  a 
committee  of  the  House  to  give  his  testimony 
in  regard  to  this  vexed  question. 

So  distasteful  to  the  people  were  the  Gov- 
ernment grants  for  religious  purposes  that 
the  Provincial  House  of  Assembly,  in  1 836, 
appointed  a  committee  to  investigate  the 
matter  and  report  to  the  House. 

The  report,  from  which  we  have  only  space 
for  a  few  extracts,  commences  as  follows : 

To  THE  HONORABLE  THE    COMMONS  HOUSE  OF 
ASSEMBLY. 

The  Committee  appointed  by  your  Honorable 
House  to  inquire  whether  any  money  has  been 
paid  by  the  Government  to  any  religious  denomina- 
tion in  this  Province,  and  if  so,  what  the  purposes 
are  to  which  such  grants — if  any — have  been  ap- 
plied ;  and  that  the  said  committee  have  authority 
to  summon  witnesses,  and  call  for  the  production 


150 

of  papers  and  records,  and  to  report  from  time  to 
time  by  address  or  otherwise — BEG  LEAVE  TO  RE- 
PORT AS  FOLLOWS:  That  in  pursuance  to  the 
order  of  your  Honorable  House  your  committee 
proceeded  to  the  consideration  of  the  first  subject  of 
enquiry,  namely,  whether  any  money  has  been  paid 
by  the  Government  to  any  religious  denominations 
in  this  Province." 

"  Upon  referring  to  the  official  returns  laid  before 
your  Honorable  House  during  the  last  Session  of 
Parliament,  it  appears  that  certain  sums  of  money 
have  been  paid  from  the  revenue  of  the  Province  to 
the  following  denominations,  viz  :  the  Church  of 
England,  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  the  Estab- 
lished Church  of  Scotland,  the  United  Presbyterian 
Synod,  the  British  Wesleyan  Conference,  or  the 
Wesleyan  Methodist  Society,  the  Canadian  Wes- 
leyan Conference." 

"The  fact  that  grants  have  been  made  and  re- 
ceived by  the  above  denominations  is  sufficiently 
established  by  the  correspondence  between  the 
Secretary  of  his  Excellency  the  Lieutenant  Gover- 
nor and  the  parties  concerned,  together  with  the 
Receiver  General's  account  of  the  expenditure  of 
the  casual  and  territorial  revenue,  all  of  which 
documents  are  among  the  records  of  your  Honor- 
able House." 


151 

On  the  4th  page  of  the  Report  it  is  stated 
that- 

"  Whatever  coloring  may  be  given  to  the  whole 
transaction,  one  thing  is  clear,  that  the  grants  of 
money  have  been  made  whether  they  were  made 
directly  to  the  Canada  Conference,  or  not,  and  that 
the  Conference  or  the  Connexion  have  become  parti- 
cipators therein." 

This  item  of  the  Report  had  reference  to 
the  attempt  made  by  prominent  members  of 
the  Canada  Conference  to  shift  the  odium  of 
having  received  the  Government  grant  upon 
the  British  Conference,  while,  at  the  same 
time  the  money  was  being  expended  in 
Canada.  The  committee  were  determined  to 
gain  all  the  information  they  could  upon  the 
subject,  and  hence  their  close  questioning  of 
the  witnesses  whom  they  summoned  to  ap- 
pear before  them.  The  following  is  Mr. 
Richardson's  testimony  on  that  occasion,  and 
abundantly  proves  his  unbending  integrity. 
The  Committee  asks,  Question  "  216." 

"  Will  you  explain  to  the  committee  the  difference 
between  receiving  Government  grants  direct,  or  re- 
ceiving them  from  that  Society,  or  body,  who  re- 
ceived them  from  the  Government  ?  " 


152 

Mr.  Richardson — "  The  difference  is  obvious — 
the  one  case  receiving  them  directly,  the  other  in- 
directly.' 

Quest.  217. — "  Is  there  any  difference  in  the  ef- 
fects, consequences,  or  propriety  of  such  proceedings?" 

Mr.  Richardson, — "  There  is  little  or  no  difference, 
in  my  opinion." 

Quest.  218, — "  In  such  a  case,  if  there  is  any- 
thing so  morally  wrong,  or  injurious  in  a  part  of 
your  conference  being  paid  in  such  a  manner,  do 
you  consider  the  whole  conference  implicated  by 
not  exercising  the  powers  with  which  they  are 
vested  to  prevent  it." 

Mr.  Richardson — "  This  question  calls  for  an  ex- 
pression of  opinion  obvious  to  all — that  if  anything 
be  morally  wrong  on  the  part  of  any  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  conference,  the  whole  body  must  be  in 
some  measure  implicated,  unless  they  exercise  what 
powers  they  possess  to  prevent  or  correct  it." 

After  the  examination  of  other  witnesses 
in  reference  to  this  point,  Mr.  Richardson,  as 
a  member  of  the  Canada  Wesley  an  Confer- 
ence, was  again  called  before  the  committee, 
and  examined  with  regard  to  the  views  of 
the  Wesleyan  laity  on  the  question  of  receiv- 
ing the  Government  Grants.  The  following 
is  an  extract  of  their  questions  and  his  re- 
plies. 


153 

Quest.  334, — "  Have  the  Societies  of  the  church 
to  which  you  belong  been  troubled  or  agitated 
about  the  grants  of  money  made  by  the  Govern- 
ment to  the  Methodists  ?  " 

Mr.  Richardson — "  They  have  I  think  to  a  con- 
siderable extent." 

Quest.  335. — "  Did  those  agitations  arise  from 
the  grants  themselves,  or  from  misrepresentations 
respecting  them  ? " 

Mr.  Richardson — "  No  doubt  misrepresentations 
respecting  them  have  increased  the  agitation- 
Nevertheless,  several  of  the  societies  within  my 
knowledge  have  manifested  considerable  anxiety 
relative  to  those  money  grants  after  they  were  cor- 
rectly informed  of  every  particular  respecting  them. 
When  the  reports  of  these  grants  having  been 
given,  appeared,  I  had  occasion  to  explain  at  the 
quarterly  meeting.  Those  explanations  relieved 
their  minds  under  an  expectation  that  as  the  Can- 
ada Conference  had  not  been  made  acquainted 
with  the  reception  of  them,  they  would  at  their 
ensuing  meeting  disavow  any  participation  in 
them,  and  declare  their  adherence  to  their  former 
principles  relative  to  grants  from  the  public  funds 
for  the  support  of  the  Christian  ministry.  This 
not  being  done  in  a  satisfactory  manner,  this  agita- 
tion, to  a  great  extent,  though  not  as  violent  as  at 
first,  still  continues." 


154- 

Mr.  Richardson's  honest  answers  to  the 
questions  put  to  him  by  this  Committee, 
brought  down  on  him  the  serious  displeasure 
of  a  very  large  majority  of  the  more  promi- 
nent members  of  the  Canada  Conference,  who, 
forgetful  of  their  former  denunciations  of  the 
policy  of  the  Executive,  in  making  grants  of 
public  moneys  to  religious  bodies,  were  now 
not  only  anxious  to  participate  in  them,  but 
were  also  clamouring  for  a  division  of  the 
Clergy  Reserves  among  certain  sects,  in  order 
that  their  body  "  might  enjoy  a  moiety  of  a 
baneful  monopoly  against  which  they  them- 
selves had,  at  one  time,  so  nobly  protested." 

In  vain  Mr.  Richardson  used  his  influence 
to  bring  the  Conference  back  to  their  former 
position  on  this  point ;  and  being  convinced 
that  further  effort  on  his  part  was  useless,  as 
the  friends  of  state  patronage  were  increasing 
in  the  Conference  year  by  year  instead  of 
decreasing,  he,  in  1836,  dissolved  his  connec- 
tion with  the  Wesley  an  body,  with  which  he 
had  been  associated  since  1833.  Nor  could 
he  have  remained  longer,  consistently  with 
his  oft  repeated  expressions  of  opposition  to 


155 

the  reception  of  the  Government  money  by 
religious  bodies. 

Although  Mr.  Richardson  could  not  induce 
the  Canada  Conference  to  reject  the  Govern- 
ment grant,  which  their  connection  with  tl  e 
English  Conference  had  caused  to  be  offered 
to  them,  he  nevertheless  lived  to  see  the 
day  when  his  much  loved  native  land  was 
freed  from  the  curse  of  a  state  paid  ministry, 
and  to  strengthen  by  his  influence  the  move- 
ment which  resulted  in  the  secularization  of 
the  Clergy  Reserves.*  Even  in  old  age  he 
would  express  himself  very  warmly  on  this 
subject,  being  very  much  interested  in  the 
progress  of  the  bill  for  the  disestablishment  of 
the  Irish  church,  and  indulging  the  hope,  in 
which,  however,  he  was  disappointed,  that  he 
might  yet  see  a  similar  bill  passed  in  regard 
to  England.  The  patriotic  Christian  Canadian 
can  scarcely  fail  to  admire  the  course  pursued 
by  Mr.  Richardson  in  this  matter,  or  indeed 
in  the  course  of  all  the  actions  of  his  public 
career. 

*  Though  Mr.  Richardson  was  favourable  to  the  secularization  of 
the  Clergy  Reserves,  he  was  yet  very  much  opposed  to  the  Commu- 
tation clause  in  the  Act  by  which  they  were  secularized. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Removes  to  State  of  New  York — Pastor  of  M.  E.  Church  in  Auburn 
N.  Y.  one  year. — Returns  to  his  native  land  in  1837 — Re-unites 
with  the  M.  E.  Church  in  Canada,  and  stationed  in  Toronto — 
Appointed  General  Missionary  by  the  conference  of  1838 — 
Incident — Secretary  of  Conference  of  1839 — Stationed  in 
Toronto — 1840  Agent  of  the  Bible  Society  by  permission  of  the 
Conference — Notice  of  his  labors  in  connection  therewith — 
Tribute  to  his  memory — Notice  of  his  connection  with  the 
Temperance  Reformation  Society — In  1852  and  1853  P.  E. — 
In  1854  Superannuated — Again  on  a  District  1858. 

Shortly  after  Mr.  Richardson's  withdrawal 
from  the  Wesleyan  Conference  he  removed  to 
Auburn  in  the  State  of  New  York,  where  he 
accepted  the  charge  of  a  Methodist  church. 
Here,  however,  he  only  remained  one  year, 
being  too  warmly  attached  to  his  native  land 
to  be  willing  to  make  a  permanent  home  for 
himself  in  any  other.  In  1837  he  returned 
to  Toronto,  earnestly  desiring  that  <*God 
would  direct  his  steps  and  open  up  his  Pro- 
vidential way."  On  his  arrival  at  Toronto, 
after  leaving  the  steamboat  he  was  passing 
up  Yonge  St.,  when  providentially  he  fell 
in  with  Rev.  Philander  Smith.  The  meet- 

156 


157 

ing  though  unexpected  was  none  the  less 
agreeable  to  both  parties.  They  had  been 
old  and  fast  friends  for  years  and  had  long 
been  co-laborers  in  the  Conference  and  church ; 
they  had  both  been  oppressed  with  similar 
fears  in  1832,  in  regard  to  the  proposed 
changes  in  the  polity  of  the  Church,  and  had 
been  grievously  disappointed  in  the  results 
which  followed  the  action  of  1833,  and  deep- 
ly did  they  regret  that  they  had  ever  con- 
sented to  the  proposed  changes,  or  allowed 
themselves  to  be  identified  with  the  new 
movement. 

Then  and  there,  they  arranged  for  an  in- 
terview. In  the  long  and  serious  conversation 
which  followed  they  carefully  reviewed  the 
past  history  of  Methodism,  and  earnestly  con- 
sidered the  probable  future  welfare  of  the 
church,  and  of  the  country.  After  seeking 
Divine  guidance  as  to  their  own  duty  to  God, 
and  to  the  people  of  Canada,  at  this  juncture, 
they  decided  to  visit  the  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Canada  which 
was  then  in  session,  about  ten  miles  from 
Toronto,  and  to  ask  admission  into  its  ranks. 


158 

This  resolution  they  put  into  execution  next 
morning. 

The  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  assembled  on  the  21st  of  June,  1837, 
in  :6  Cummer's  Meeting  House,  "  Yonge  Street. 

While  the  Conference  was  going  through 
the  routine  of  business,  all  unconscious  of  the 
pleasant  surprise  awaiting  them,  these  honor- 
ed men  of  God  were  on  their  way  to  make 
the  contemplated  visit.  Arriving  at  their 
destination,  they  met  a  cordial  recep- 
tion, even  before  the  direct  object  of  their 
visit  had  been  made  known,  and  when  their 
object  was  understood  they  were  received 
again  with  hearty  welcome.  Brothers  belov- 
ed they  had  been  of  old,  honored  and  beloved 
they  continued  thenceforth  to  be,  till  they 
were,  each  in  his  turn,  removed  from  the 
Church  militant  to  the  Church  triumphant. 

In  1837  Mr.  Richardson  was  stationed  at 
Toronto.  In  1838,  he  was  appointed  to  travel 
through  a  portion  of  the  work  as  a  general 
Missionary.* 

*  Rev.  W.  F.  Lowe  relates  the  following  incident  which  occurred 
during  the  conference  of  1838,  held  in  Palermo. 


159 

"  During  the  war  of  1812  Bishop  Richard- 
son (then  Lieut,  in  the  R.  N.)  was  sent 
on  some  office  business  to  Toronto — then 
called  York — to  Dundas  by  the  way  of  Dun- 
das  Street.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  wife. 
At  the  close  of  the  first  day  they  arrived  at 
the  home  of  my  father-in-law,  Mr.  Absalom 
Smith,  who  lived  in  the  Township  of  Trafal- 
gar and  requested  permission  to  stay  all  night. 
After  some  hesitation  their  consent  was  given. 
The  next  morning  the  Lieut,  had  some  writ- 
ing to  do,  and  as  that  was  before  the  days  of 
gold  or  steel  pens  he  was  under  the  necessity 
of  using  his  pen  knife  to  make  or  mend  his 
pen,  and  laying  the  knife  down  on  the  table 
he  went  away  and  left  it.  His  host  laid  the 
knife  carefully  away  till  he  should  return,  or 
until  he  should  have  a  suitable  opportunity 
to  give,  or  send  it  to  him.  Such  opportunity, 
however,  did  not  occur  for  several  years,  and 
in  the  meantime  the  incident  was  well  nigh 
forgotten  by  both.  The  next  time  the  parties 
met  was  at  the  Conference  of  1838,  held  in 
the  Trafalgar  Church, which  Brother  Richard- 
son attended.  It  so  happened  that  Mr. 


160 

Richardson  was  sent  to  my  father-in-law's  to 
board  during  the  session  of  the  Conference. 
A.t  first  the  host  did  not  recognize  in  the 
Methodist  preacher,  the  officer  of  former  years, 
but  after  mature  reflection  he  recalled  the 
incident  connected  with  his  former  visit.  He 
got  the  little  pen-knife  (which  had  been 
carefully  preserved)  and  presented  it  to  his 
guest,  who  also  soon  recalled  the  circumstance 
of  his  former  visit  to  the  family  of  his  host. 
They  were  ever  after  firm  and  warm  friends." 

In  1839  he  was  elected  Secretary  of  the 
Conference,  an  office  which  was  repeatedly 
and  creditably  filled  by  him,  both  before  and 
after  this  period,  and  he  was  once  more 
stationed  in  Toronto. 

Mr.  Richardson  evinced  a  warm  interest  in 
the  various  associations  which  have  for  their 
object  the  spread  of  Scriptural  and  other  re- 
ligious knowledge,  more  especially  the  Bible 
and  Tract  Societies.  The  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society  having  established  a  branch  in 
Canada,  Mr.  Richardson  was.  in  1840,  ap- 
pointed its  agent,  he  having  received  permis- 
sion of  the  Conference  to  act  in  that  capacity. 


161 

This  office  he  filled,  with  advantage  to  the 
Society  and  credit  to  himself,  for  11  years. 
The  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by  his 
associates  in  both  of  those  departments  of 
Christian  labour  will  probably  be  best  learned 
by  the  following  tribute  to  his  memory,  from 
the  pen  of  his  friend  and  co-laborer  Rev.  W. 
Reid. 

"  The  late  Rev.  Dr.  Richardson,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Upper  Canada  Bible  Society, 
and  the  Upper  Canada  Religious  Tract  and 
Book  Society. 

Dr.  Richardson,  I  doubt  not,  had  taken  an 
interest  in  the  Bible  Society  from  the  time 
of  its  organization  in  1828,  for  he  sympathized 
with  all  movements  of  a  religious  and  mission- 
ary nature.  In  1839  he  was  appointed  one 
of  the  Yice-Presidents  of  the  Society,  a  position 
which  he  filled  till  the  time  of  his  death — 
36  years. 

In  1839-40  the  Rev.  Dr.  Thomson,  an  agent 
of  the  Parent  Society,  went  through  the 
country,  forming  branches  of  the  Bible  So- 
ciety where  none  previously  existed,  and 
stirring  up  the  few  which  had  been  in  exis- 
11 


162 

tence ;  and  with  the  view  of  carrying  on  the 
work,  it  was  resolved  by  the  directors  of  the 
TJ.  C.,  at  the  recommendation  of  the  Parent 
Society,  to  appoint  a  permanent  travelling 
agent.  Dr.  Richardson's  many  peculiar  quali- 
fications pointed  him  out  as  excellently  fitted 
for  such  a  work ;  and  accordingly  he  was  ap- 
pointed agent  in  1840,  beginning  his  work  in 
June  of  that  year.  I  first  became  acquainted 
with  him  in  the  autumn  of  1840,  when  he 
visited  Grafton^  where  I  then  was  settled,  for 
the  purpose  of  forming  a  Bible  Society,  and 
from  that  time  I  saw  him  at  least  once  a  year, 
till  I  was  removed  to  Toronto  in  1853.  In 
the  discharge  of  his  duties  he  was  most  dili- 
gent and  persevering.  The  roads  were  often 
very  bad,  and  the  storms  severe,  but  no  diffi- 
culties deterred  him  or  prevented  him  from 
keeping  his  appointments.  His  addresses 
were  impressive  and  full  of  information; 
while  his  genial  disposition,  the  intelligent 
interest  which  he  took  in  every  thing  con- 
nected with  the  progress  of  the  country,  and 
the  deep  but  unobtrusive  piety  which  charac- 
terized him,  gained  him  favour  with  all.  In 


163 

the  days  to  which  I  refer,  there  was  not  as 
much  Christian  intercourse  among  the  mem- 
bers of  different  churches  as  there  is  now  ; 
political,  religious,  and  national  differences 
were  more  marked  than  they  are  now.  But 
even  then,  men  of  all  churches,  and  of  all 
classes  had  confidence  in  Dr.  Richardson  as  a 
truly  good  man.  He  was  at  the  time  the  sole 
agent  of  the  Upper  Canada  Bible  Society,  and 
his  duties  required  hard  work  and  self-denying 
toil.  But  all,  with  whom  he  had  intercourse, 
appreciated  his  fidelity,  and  were  sorry  when 
he  resigned  his  position. 

In  connection  with  the  Upper  Canada  Reli- 
gious Tract  and  Book  Society.  I  find  that  he 
was  appointed  a  Vice-President  in  1842,  and 
in  1851,  he  consented  to  accept  the  appoint- 
ment of  President.  For  nearly  a  quarter  of 
a  century,  he  filled  that  honourable  position, 
and  on  many  an  occasion  was  his  well-known 
form  seen  occupying  the  chair  at  the  annual 
meetings,  when  his  cheerful,  and  hopeful 
words  stimulated  and  encouraged  the  friends 
of  the  cause.  Until  recently  he  was  very 
faithful  in  attending  the  committee  meetings 


164 

of  both  societies,  when  he  was  in  the  city,  and 
in  him  they  have  both  lost  a  most  faithful  and 
sincere  friend." 

The  following  is  extracted  from  the  Bible 
Society  Recorder. 

"  Since  the  matter  for  this  number  of  the 
Recorder  was  placed  in  the  printer's  hands 
another  of  our  Vice-Presidents,  a  Christian 
Canadian  veteran  hero  has  passed  away  from 
among  us,  regretted  by  all  who  knew  him, 
and  by  none  outside  his  own  family  and 
private  circle  more  than  by  the  Directors  of 
the  Upper  Canada  Bible  Society.  The  Kev. 
Bishop  Richardson,  D.D.,  breathed  his  last 
almost  at  the  time  when  the  Board  in  their 
opening  prayer,  led  by  the  Rev.  J^  M.  Cameron, 
were  commending  him  to  God,  the  Father  of 
mercies  in  Christ. 

We  cannot  help  mourning  his  loss,  yet 
ought  we  not  rather  to  "  bless  God's  holy  name 
for  another  of  His  servants  departed  this  life 
in  His  faith  and  fear,  beseeching  Him  to  give 
us  grace  to  follow  his  good  example,"  es- 
pecially when  He  has  spared  His  beloved  saint 
to  the  Church  on  earth  so  long,  vouchsafed 


165 

to  him  such  an  unusual  share  of  health  in 
"spirit,  soul,  and  body,"  and  honoured  him  so 
largely  as  an  instrument  in  the  spread  of  his 
truth. 

Dr.  Richardson  has  been  a  Yice-President 
of  the  U.  C.  Bible  Society  ever  since  1839, 
and  was  the  first  Agent  of  this  Auxiliary  to 
the  great  Parent  Society  in  England.  In 
this  capacity  he  laboured  alone  for  eleven 
years,  from  1840-1851,  with  that  self-unspar- 
ing devotedness  which  was  so  characteristic 
of  him  to  the  end  of  his  days.  The  great 
service  he  rendered  to  the  Bible  cause  at  that 
time  cannot  be  estimated,  for  a  man's  influence 
continues  in  many  ways  long  after  his  work 
ceases;  but  that  the  interest  shown  throughout 
the  country  in  the  operations  of  the  Society  is 
largely  due  to  his  zeal  and  energy  cannot  be 
doubted.  As  part  of  the  result,  but  only  as  a 
part,  we  may  mention  that  in  the  year  ending 
April  30th,  1840,  there  were  55  Branches,  the 
receipts  were  £513  16s.  8d.,  and  the  issues 
2,819,  whereas  in  the  year  ending  March 
30th,  1852  there  were  104  Branches,  the 
receipts  were  £1,179  9s.  5d.  and  the  issues 


166 

13,063.  To  the  end  of  his  life  he  continued 
to  take  a  warm  interest  in  everything  con- 
cerning the  Society,  as  was  shown  by  wishes 
he  expressed  even  during  his  last  illness.  He 
often  attended  the  Board  meetings,  and  help- 
ed by  his  experience  and  wisdom  to  guide  its 
actions. 

It  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  say  much  of  the 
close  and  interesting  connection  of  his  life 
with  the  history  of  the  country,  as  it  has  been 
set  forth  in  several  of  the  secular  papers,  and 
is  well  known,  or  ought  to  be  well  known,  to 
every  Canadian  more  fully  than  we  can  give 
it  here.  He  was  born  in  Kingston  in  January, 
1791.  He  early  took  to  a  sailor's  life  as  his 
father  had  before  him,  and  during  the  war  of 
1812-14  saw  much  active  service.  He  was 
sailing  master  of  the  Moira,  under  Captain 
Sampson,  and  afterwards  of  the  Montreal, 
under  Captain  Popham.  In  this  latter  ship 
he  was  the  hero  of  one  of  those  plucky  deeds 
that  make  men  proud  of  such  a  countryman. 
It  is  quite  true,  he  was  not  in  command  of  the 
ship,  but  those  who  understand  what  the  sail- 
ing master's  duties  are,  know  that  though  he 


167 

has  probably  to  expose  himself  more  than  any, 
yet  of  all  others  he  must  keep  most  cool.  At 
the  taking  of  Oswego,  on  the  morning  of  the 
6th  of  May,  1814,  he  took  the  Montreal  so 
close  in  to  the  fort  that,  as  the  Bishop  himself 
told  the  writer,  Sir.  James  Yeo  was  for  a  time 
very  much  afraid  he  would  get  her  aground. 
The  admiration  felt  for  him  by  his  own 
captain  and  the  commodore  is  clearly  seen  in 
their  official  despatches.  Yery  soon  after  he 
had  brought  the  ship  to  an  anchor  he  lost  his 
left  arm  by  a  red  hot  shot.  But  he  was  one 
of  those  who  never  say  "  die  "  while  there  is 
a  shot  in  the  locker  ;  so  we  read  of  him  in 
those  days  as  we  have  always  found  him  in 
after  years,  ready  to  do  and  dare  more  with 
one  arm  than  most  of  us  with  two.  In 
October  of  the  same  year  we  find  him  with 
Sir  James  himself  in  the  St.  Lawrence,  the 
largest  sailing  vessel  that  ever  floated  on 
Lake  Ontario.  In  this  berth  he  remained  until 
the  end  of  the  war. 

A  few  years  after,  he  was  converted,  and 
was  soon  called  to  the  ministry  and  ordained 
in  the  Methodist  Church  in  1824.  Dr.  Scad- 


168 

ding,  in  his  pleasing  memoranda  of  our  sailor 
Bishop,  speaks  of  this  as  "a  curious  transition, 
instances  of  which  are  now  and  then  afforded 
in  the  history  of  individuals  in  every  profes- 
sion.'' We  will  not  question  the  epithet 
"  curious,"  for  it  is  more  than  curious,  it  is 
wonderful  that  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel 
should  be  committed  to  men  at  all,  and  not  to 
angels.  But  we  heg  to  add  that  this  seems  to 
us  a  truly  apostolic  transition,  for  although  all 
sailors  are  not  fishermen,  yet  all  fishermen  are 
sailors,  and  though  the  Bishops  of  the  present 
day  are  not  Apostles,  yet  certainly  the  Apos- 
tles were  Bishops.  But  though  he  became  a 
minister  and  a  Bishop,  he  never  ceased  to  be 
"  every  inch  a  sailor,"  and  was  always  ready 
and  pleased  when  asked  by  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  to  come  to  their  help 
among  the  sailors  and  preach  at  the  Bethel 
service,  and  more  than  once  he  did  this  under 
circumstances  in  which  most  of  us  would  have 
claimed  rest.  He  also  took  the  warmest 
interest  in  the  Welland  Canal  Mission,  and 
was  determined  to  let  no  trifle,  or  red  tape 
stand  in  the  way  of  the  sailor's  best  interests 


169 

being  attended  to  by  the  Tract  Society  of 
which  he  was  President.  When  the  separation 
took  place  among  the  Methodists  in  1836,  "* 
Dr.  Richardson  stuck  to  the  Episcopal  form  of 
church  government,  and  he  was  always  ready 
to  state  his  preference  in  this  matter  distinctly, 
and  not  always  without  some  warmth.  But 
he  was  a  man  of  a  truly  Catholic  spirit,  and 
showed  his  love  for  all  brethren  in  Christ,  so 
that  his  kind  genial  face  and  his  fatherly 
smile  will  be  missed  by  members  of  all  Evan- 
gelical Churches  in  Toronto  and  throughout 
the  Province.  Especially  will  this  be  the  case 
at  the  coming  anniversary  of  the  Tract  Society 
where  he  presided  for  so  many  years,  and 
where  he  used  to  delight  in  claiming  for  the 
Parent  Tract  Society  the  honour  of  having 
given  birth  to  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society,  which  he  always  insisted  should  be 
considered  the  greatest  and  noblest  of  all  such 
associations.  He  was  at  Mr.  Tyner's  funeral 
only  a  short  month  ago,  and  led  the  prayers 
of  the  assembled  friends  before  leaving  the 
house.  He  was  still  looking  wonderfully  well 

*  The  separation  took  place  in  1833,  and  Mr.  Richardson  did  not 
re-unite  with  the  M.  E.  Church  till  1837. 


170 

for  a  man  of  his  age,  although  he  had  had  a 
severe  sickness  last  summer.  But  persevering 
in  the  discharge  of  his  Episcopal  duties  during 
the  late  severe  weather,  he  caught  cold  while 
in  the  County  of  Halton.  He  returned  home 
about  the  end  of  February,  but  congestion  of 
the  lungs  set  in,  and  he  died  on  the  evening 
of  Tuesday,  the  9th  inst.,  in  great  peace,  and 
surrounded  by  his  family,  who  have,  we  rest 
assured,  not  only  the  deep  sympathy  and 
prayers  of  many  of  God's  people  in  their 
bereavement;  but  the  tender  sympathy  of 
Him,  our  Great  High  Priest,  who  is  not  only 
touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities,  but 
who  carries  our  sorrows.  We  trust  that  the 
God  of  all  consolation  may  give  them  abun- 
dantly of  the  comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

At  the  thirty -fifth  anniversary  of  the  Up- 
per Canada  Bible  Society,  held  in  Toronto, 
5th  of  May,  1875,  Mr.  Kobert  Baldwin,  the 
Secretary,  read  the  annual  report,  from  which 
we  take  the  following  extract : 

"  The  Rev.  Bishop  Richardson,  D.D.,  was  the 
first  person  appointed  by  the  Society  as  its  travel- 
ling agent,  the  duties  of  which  office  he  discharged 


171 

for  eleven  years  with  the  zeal  and  energy  so 
characteristic  of  him,  and  which  showed  his  heart 
was  truly  in  the  work.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Gill,  the 
representative  of  the  Parent  Society,  who  visited 
most  of  our  branches  in  1864,  says  in  his  report : — 
"  In  looking  at  the  present  position  of  the  Bible 
Society  in  Upper  Canada,  I  do  feel  that  in  former 
years  some  one  must  have  worked  hard  in  planting 
our  Bible  standard."  The  Directors  are  glad  to 
know  that  this  can  be  said  of  all  our  agents,  and 
some  might  be  mentioned  as  pre-eminent  in  the 
good  work  ;  yet  they  feel  sure  that  all  will  gladly 
award  the  first  niche  of  honour,  as  well  as  of  time, 
to  our  venerable  standard-bearer  who  has  so  lately 
left  us,  esteemed  by  all  as  a  Christian  and  a  patriot, 
and  of  whom  even  the  world  will  join  us  in  say- 
ing :- 

We  do  not  think  a  braver  gentleman  ; 
More  active- valiant  or  more  valiant-young  ; 
More  daring  or  more  bold,  is  now  alive 
To  grace  this  latter  age  with  noble  deeds. 

It  has  been  stated  that  Mr.  Richardson 
served  the  Bible  Society  as  agent  for  11  years, 
but  it  may  be  remarked,  en  passant,  that  in 
the  year  1847,  having  been  appointed  Presid- 
ing Elder  of  the  Toronto  District,  he  resigned 
the  agency  for  that  year  and  carried  out  the 
appointment  of  the  conference.  But  being 


172 

requested  by  the  officers  of  the  Society  to 
resume  the  agency,  he  was  again  permitted 
hy  the  conference  to  do  so,  and  continued  to 
work  as  earnestly  as  ever  in  that  capacity 
till  the  Spring  of  1852. 

Bishop  Richardson's  zealous  and  untiring 
efforts  in  the  advancement  of  the  Temperance 
cause  have  been  elsewhere  alluded  to,  in  evi- 
dence thereof  the  following  is  presented  from 
the  pen  of  Mr.  Alexander  Christie,  of 
Toronto. 

The  temperance  movement  received  the 
active  support-  of  earnest  Christian  men  in 
Toronto  at  an  early  period. 

In  the  days  when  "  total  abstinence  from 
distilled  spirits,  and  moderation  in  the  use  of 
fermented  liquors,"  was  the  instrument  with 
which  good  men  battled  the  desolating  plague 
of  intemperance ;  the  cause  was  advocated  by 
ministers  and  others  in  this  city,  amongst 
whom  and  foremost,  were  the  Revds.  J. 
Richardson,  J.  Harris,  and  E.  Ryerson,  assist- 
ed by  Marshall,  Spring,  Bid  well,  James  Les- 
lie, Jesse  Ketchum,  and  others,  faithful  men. 
whose  very  names  have  passed  into  oblivion. 


173 

But  the  Spoiler  was  not  to  be  conquered  by 
such  a  weapon.  Of  these  early  efforts  no 
record  remains,  they  were  promotive  of  good, 
but  the  Society  ceased  to  exist ;  "  and  the 
friends  of  virtue  and  order  had  the  mortifica- 
tion of  witnessing  the  rapid  strides  of  the 
demon  of  Intemperance  through  the  length 
and  breadth  of  our  city,  marking  his  track 
with  a  fearfully  increasing  amount  of  pauper- 
ism, crime,  and  wretchedness,  without  any 
promising  means  of  arresting  his  progress,  or 
staying  his  hand."  From  1836  to  1839  little 
or  nothing  was  done  in  Toronto.  About  that 
time,  philanthropists  in  other  countries, 
especially  in  the  United  States,  were  becom- 
ing convinced  that  nothing  short  of  entire 
total  abstinence  from  all  intoxicating  drinks 
would  effectually  arrest  and  remove  the  de- 
stroying evil :  but  many  prominent  temper- 
ance men  were  slow  to  arrive  at  this  convic- 
tion ;  in  some  societies  both  pledges  were 
presented,  each  finding  its  advocates;  and 
the  people  were  free  to  choose  the  one  or  the 
other,  as  seemed  to  them  most  expedient. 
While  the  wisdom  of  such  a  course  may 


174 

now  be  doubted,  let  it  be  remembered  that 
much  obscurity  prevailed  then  as  to  the  true 
nature  and  effects  of  alcohol.  Several  con- 
ferences were  held  in  which  the  late  Bishop 
Richardson  took  part,  together  with  Mr.  Har- 
ris, and  Mr.  (now  Dr.)  Ryerson,  and  the  late 
Rev.  John  Roaf,  then  recently  arrived  from 
England.  The  political  persecutions  of  1837 
had  removed  Mr.  Bid  well  from  Canada,  but 
Jesse  Ketchum  and  others  heartily  joined  in 
the  new  movement.  At  these  preliminary 
meetings  the  battle  of  the  pledges  was  carried 
on  with  some  spirit;  ultimately,  however, 
the  friends  in  council  agreed  to  adopt  the 
total  abstinence  pledge,  alone ;  fe  and  at  length 
a  meeting  was  called,  between  the  fluctua- 
tions of  hope  and  despondency,  and  on  the 
13th  of  March,  1839,  The  TORONTO  TEMPER- 
ANCE REFORMATION  SOCIETY  was  organized ; 
and  commenced  operations  with  the  small 
number  of  sixty-six  members;  which  gradu- 
ally and  steadily  increased."  From  that 
time  forth,  for  many  years,  the  Bishop,  with 
his  characteristic  devotion  to  serve  the  Lord 
in  this  sphere  of  usefulness,  continued  his 


175 

advocacy  of  total  abstinence,  diligently  at- 
tending the  Committee  meetings  and  the 
public  meetings  of  the  society  in  which 
we  held  the  offices  of  President  or  Yice- 
President.  The  Society's  success  was 
most  encouraging  ;  at  its  first  annual 
meeting,  in  1840,  the  Committee  were 
able  to  report  a,  membership,  resident  in  the 
city,  of  357.  On  the  13th  of  March,  1840, 
a  Temperance  Soiree  was  held  in  the  M.  E. 
Church,  on  Richmond-street,  west  of  Yonge^ 
of  which  Mr.  Richardson  was  then  pastor. 
As  this  was,  probably,  the  first  temperance 
tea-meeting  held  in  Canada,  something  may 
be  said  of  it  here,  in  this  connection.  Mr. 
Richardson's  good  lady  and  family  with 
friends  of  other  churches,  entered  heartily  in- 
to all  the  arrangements  ;  his  eldest  daughter 
presided  at  the  piano,  assisting  a  choir  that 
had  been  formed.  Several  new  temperance 
songs,  written  for  the  occasion,  were  sung  to 
favourite  airs,  and  some  of  the  best  known 
church  tunes ;  the  association  of  the  latter 
with  most  empathic,  outspoken  temperance 
sentiments,  rather  shocked  the  sensibilities  of 


176 

some  of  the  good  people — who  declared  they 
could   never   sing   them  in    church  without 
thinking  of  the  songs  with  which  they  were, 
for  the  evening,  allied ;  but  this  was  a  mis- 
take, because  in   the   experience  of  many  of 
them,  in  the  house  of  God,  in  public  worship, 
surrounded    by     hallowing    influences,    the 
Portuguese  Hymn   and   others  of  the  selec- 
tion were  as  solemn   and  elevating   as  ever 
they  had  been  before.     During  the  five  and 
thirty  years  which  have  intervened,  temper- 
ance tea-meetings  and  entertainments  have 
become   familiar  enough,  but  few  attending 
one  now-a-days  can  realize  the  pleasurable 
excitement  and  thrilling  enjoyment  that  pre- 
vailed on  that  first  occasion.  The  Society  was 
incorporated  August  31st,  in  the  year  1851, 
and    continues  its  useful    labours  until  the 
present  day. 

To  the  close  of  his  long,  useful,  and  hon- 
oured life,  Bishop  Richardson  continued  stead- 
fast in  his  allegiance  to  the  temperance  re- 
formation ;  and  so  much  did  he  desire  to  pro- 
mote it  by  all  means  if  he  might  but  save 
some,  in  conversation  with  a  friend  a  few 


177 

years  ago,  he  asked  if  he  remembered  the 
old  society,  whose  members  were  pledged  to 
abstain  from  the  use  of  spirituous  liquors, 
and  use  wine  and  beer  in  moderation,  and 
being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  the  bishop 
said — it  looked  foolish  to  us  now  for  a  Tem- 
perance Society  to  adopt  such  a  pledge,  but  if 
a  similar  society  were  formed  to-morrow,  he 
would  bid  it  God-speed,  and  every  effort, 
great  or  small,  to  put  down  intemperance. 

Notwithstanding,  the  doctor  always  prac- 
ticed and  advocated  total  abstinence  from  all 
that  can  intoxicate,  as  the  true  basis  that 
should  underlie  ail  temperance  effort  ;  and 
while  now  more  highly  organized  Orders  and 
Leagues  have  largely  taken  the  place  of  the 
Temperance  Reformation  Societies  which 
formerly  did  battle  with  the  drinking  cus- 
toms of  the  community,  in  the  opinion  of 
many,  these  open  Societies,  with  their  open 
meetings,  and  simple  pledge,  have  done  very 
much  to  form  and  spread  a  public  temperance 
sentiment,  up  even  to  the  point  of  a  total 
prohibition  of  the  liquor  traffic  ;  in  the  hap- 
py results  of  which  labours  the  workers  of 

12 


178 

the  present  day  have  entered,  without  it  may 
be  their  having  any  knowledge  of,  or  ever 
bestowing  a  thought  on,  the  men  who  laid 
the  foundations  broad  and  deep,  on  which 
they  are  now  building. 

At  the  Conference  of  1852,  Mr.  Richardson 
was  again  appointed  Presiding  Elder,  a  posi- 
tion whch  he  occupied  for  two  years. 

In  1854,  his  health  being  considerably  im- 
paired, he  was  granted  a  superannuated  rela- 
tion which  he  held  till  the  Conference  of 
1858,  when  he  reported  himself  able  to  re- 
sume regular  work,  and  accordingly  he  was 
again  appointed  to  the  charge  of  a  district. 

He  was  serving  the  church  in  this  relation 
when  elected  to  the  episcopal  chair. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Elected  to  the  episcopal  office  in  1858 — Illness  at  Ingersoll  and 
Buffalo — Cordiality  of  General  Conference  in  the  U.  S.  -De- 
gree of  D.D. — Restoration  to  health — His  sympathy  with  the 
Government  of  the  United  States  in  its  struggle  with  the  slave 
power — Incident — Fenian  raid. 

The  General  Conference  of  1858  was  held 
in  St.  Davids — a  pleasant  little  village  with- 
in a  few  miles  of  Niagara  Falls. 

For  some  time  previous  to  this,  the  opin- 
ion had  been  gaining  ground  that  it  would  be 
expedient  to  have  another  General  Superin- 
tendent associated  with  the  venerable  Bishop 
Smith  in  the  performance  of  the  arduous 
duties  of  the  Episcopal  office,  especially  so  as 
Bishop  Reynolds  had  died  in  the  interim  be- 
tween 1854  and  1858. 

As  soon  as  it  was  decided  to  elect  another 
bishop,  Mr.  Richardson  was  solicited  by  several 
of  the  more  influential  members  of  the  con- 
ference to  allow  his  name  to  be  used  as  a 
candidate  for  the  office,  and  after  consider- 
179 


180 

able  persuasion,  on  the  part  of  his  brethren, 
he  consented. 

Having  been  duly  elected,  he  was  on  Sun- 
day, August  22nd,  1858,  consecrated  to  the 
office  of  Bishop  in  the  M.  E.  Church,  in  Can- 
ada, by  ordination,  at  the  hands  of  Bishop 
Smith,  assisted  by  several  of  the  elders, 

That  the  choice  of  the  General  Conference 
was  a  judicious  one.  subsequent  years  abun- 
dantly proved.  The  friendly  feeling  which 
had  previously  existed  between  Bishop  Smith 
and  Mr.  Richardson,  was  not  only  not  dimin- 
ished by  Mr.  Richardson's  election  to  Episco- 
pal orders,  but — if  such  a  thing  were  possible 
— seemed  to  be  increased  thereby.  The  Ad- 
ministrative ability  of  Mr.  Richardson  was 
very  highly  estimated  by  his  senior  in  office.be- 
tween  whom  and  himself  the  fullest  concord 
existed  till  death  terminated  their  associa- 
tion here. 

Bishop  Richardson,  though  having  a  pro- 
found respect  for  all  evangelical  churches, 
was,  nevertheless,  warmly  attached  to 
Methodist  Episcopacy  as  established  by  Mr. 
Wesley,  and,  like  the  Great  Founder  of 


181 

Methodism,  preferred  that  to  any  other  form 
of  church  government.* 

During  the  two  years  succeeding  Bishop 
Richardson's  appointment  to  the  episcopal 
chair  he  was  in  a  feeble  state  of  health,  and 
his  friends  began  to  fear  that  his  useful  life 
might  be  prematurely  terminated.  This  was 
especially  the  case  in  the  spring  of  1860.  While 
attending  the  Niagara  Annual  Conference,held 
that  year  in  Ingersoll,  during  one  of  the  ses- 
sions he  was  seized  with  one  of  those  sudden 
attacks  of  illness  which  so  much  alarmed  his 
friends.  He  became  dizzy,  and  fancied  the 
church  was  turning  over,  and  that  the  people 
in  the  body  of  the  house  were  being  precipi- 
tated into  that  part  of  the  building  where 
Bishop  Smith  and  he  were  seated,  and  utter- 
ing the  exclaimation  oh  !  he  would  have 
fallen  to  the  floor  had  not  one  of  the  minis- 
ters, near  him  at  the  time,  supported  him. 

*  Bishop  Richardson  repeatedly  stated  to  the  author  of  this 
memoir,  both  before  and  after  his  election  to  the  episcopocal  office, 
that  he  had  ahvays  deeply  regretted  having  consented  to  the 
changes  in  relation  to  church  government,  proposed  by  the  Canada 
Conference  in  1832,  and  adopted  by  them  in  1833;  as  the  more 
fully  he  examined  the  history  of  the  Primitive  church,  and  compar- 
ed it  with  the  New  Testament  Scriptures,  the  more  fully  he  was 
impressed  with  the  correctness  of  the  system  of  church  government 
prepared  by  Mr.  Wesley  for  the  "  people  called  Methodists." 


182 


He  was  urged  to  retire  from  the  Conference 
room  but  refused,  saying,  "  I  will  be  better 


soon." 


The  unfavourable  symptoms,  however, 
continued,  and  the  writer  accompanied  him 
to  Toronto  to  consult  his  son  Dr.  Richardson 
as  to  his  condition,  and  also  to  ascertain  whe- 
ther the  Doctor  considered  it  safe  for  him  to 
attend  the  American  General  Conference, 
which  was  to  commence  its  session  in  Buffalo 
on  the  1st  of  May,  1 860.  at  which  he  wished 
very  much  to  be  present. 

The  Doctor,  embracing  an  opportunity 
when  his  father  was  not  present,  ex- 
plained to  the  writer  his  condition,  stat- 
ing that  the  Bishop  was  predisposed  to 
apoplexy,  and  that  though  he  might  live 
many  years,  yet  he  was  liable  to  drop  dead 
any  moment.  "  But  "  continued  the  Doctor 
"he  is  as  safe  in  your  hands  as  in  mine." 
He  has  decided  to  go  to  Buffalo  with  you,  and 
if  I  should  direct  otherwise,  it  would  be  a 
great  disappointment  to  him.  I  will  prepare 
some  medicine,  please  see  that  he  takes  it 
according  to  directions,  and  do  not  leave  him 
alone." 


183 

It  having  thus  been  decided  that  the 
Bishop's  health  would  be  no  more  likely  to 
be  endangered  by  his  attendance  at  the 
General  Conference,  than  it  would  be  by  his 
remaining  at  home,  he  set  out  for  Buffalo  ac- 
companied by  the  author,  who  had  the  hon- 
or to  be  one  of  the  delegates  of  the  General 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  Canada,  sent  to  bear  fraternal  greetings  to 
the  General  Conference  of  the  parent  body. 
The  Bishop  and  his  companion  having  been 
introduced  to  the  Conference,  were  kindly 
welcomed  by  their  American  brethren,  and 
soon  found  themselves  at  home.  The 
Bishop's  speech  on  his  introduction  to  the 
Conference  was  excellent,  though  short.  He 
enjoyed  himself  during  the  day,  spending  a 
great  part  of  the  time  in  conversation  with 
his  brother  Bishops  and  other  leading  mem- 
bers of  the  General  Conference,  upon  all  of 
whom  his  genial  spirit  and  dignified  manner 
made  a  most  favourable  impression.  A  few 
days  were  spent  in  pleasant  and  profitable 
intercourse  with  his  brethren,  when  he  was 
again,  while  engaged  in  conversation  with 


184. 

Bishop  Simpson,  suddenly  attacked  with  a 
spasm  similar  to  the  one  from  which  he  had 
suffered  at  Ingersoll.  So  sudden  and  severe 
was  the  attack,  that  but  for  the  timely  assist- 
ance of  Bishop  Simpson  and  one  of  the  re- 
porters, he  would  have  fallen  on  the  plat- 
form. In  consequence  of  this  attack  the 
Bishop  deemed  it  best  to  return  home  ;it 
once,  which  he  did,  greatly  to  his  own  disap- 
pointment, and  the  regret  of  the  deputation 
from  his  own  church,  as  well  as  that  of  those 
whom  he  had  visited. 

Brief  as  had  been  the  Bishop's  stay  at  the 
American  General  Conference,  he  had  made 
so  favorable  an  impression  upon  the  minds  of 
the  leading  men  of  the  church,  that  it  was 
decided  among  them  to  have  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity  conferred  upon  him — a 
project  of  which  the  Bishop  had  not  the 
slightest  knowledge  until  the  thing  was  ac- 
complished. 

After  the  Bishop's  return  from  Buffalo,  he 
took  a  few  months  rest  from  active  labor, 
and  by  this  means,  taken  in  connection  with 
the  careful  attention  he  received  from  his 


*      185 

family  he  was  providentially  restored  to  his 
accustomed  health,  and  permitted  to  serve 
the  church  as  formerly,  apparently  with  re- 
newed vigor. 

As  a  philanthropist.  Bishop  Richardson 
had  always  taken  a  lively  interest  in  the 
controversy  going  on  in  the  United  States 
between  the  North  and  South,  relative  to  the 
question  of  "  Slavery." 

At  the  General  Conference  of  1860,  short 
as  was  his  stay,  he  was  pained  to  observe 
that  the  clouds  of  the  approaching  terrible 
struggle  between  the  contending  parties, 
which  were  darkening  the  political  horizon, 
were  also  casting  their  black  shadows  upon 
the  Conference. 

On  the  one  side  were  those  who  took  the 
noble  stand  that  it  was  a  sin  against  God, 
and  an  outrage  upon  humanity,  to  hold  hu- 
man beings  in  bondage  ;  while,  on  the  other 
side,  a  majority  of  the  delegates  from  the 
"  border"  Conferences  were  very  much  averse 
to  having  the  "peculiar  institution"  inter- 
fered with.  It  was  evident  to  his  mind  that 
the  bitter  spirit  manifested  in  the  controversy 


186 

on  the  "  Slavery  question,"  in  the  church, 
was  but  an  indication  of  the  much  more  bit- 
ter spirit  pervading  the  entire  nation ;  and, 
with  other  good  men.  he  looked  forward  to 
the  approaching  Presidential  election  with 
forebodings  as  to  the  future  of  the  Republic. 
Though  thoroughly  British  in  all  his  inter- 
ests and  attachments,  he  was  yet  too  liberal 
and  cosmopolitan  in  his  views  to  desire  the 
dismemberment  of  the  great  American  nation. 
Frequently,  while  the  war-cloud  hung  so 
heavily  over  the  United  States,  he  would 
ask,  "  Will  Lincoln  be  equal  to  the  task  be- 
fore him  ?"  So  far  did  he  carry  his  sympathy 
with  the  neighboring  country  at  this  time, 
that  it  was  a  common  practice  for  him  in  his 
public  ministrations,  after  the  usual  prayers 
for  the  Queen.  Royal  Family  and  Imperial 
and  Colonial  Authorities,  to  offer  up  further 
petitions  for  President  Lincoln  and  his  Cabi- 
net, that  they  might  be  directed  aright  in 
these  perilous  times. 

Before  the  disastrous  American  Rebellion 
was  over,  the  General  Conference  of  the  Me- 
thodist Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States 


187 

met  again,  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  in  May, 
1864.  Bishop  Richardson  was  again  an  hon- 
ored visitor.  Some  of  the  most  sanguinary 
battles  of  that  dreadful  war  were  fought  while 
this  Conference  was  in  session,  and  the  na- 
tional feeling  was  raised  to  the  highest  pitch 
of  painful  anxiety.  An  incident  which  oc- 
curred at  this  Conference  may  not  be  out  of 
place,  illustrating,  as  it  does,  the  frenzy  of 
excitement  into  which  the  public  mind  had 
been  wrought. 

During  the  progress  of  the  "  Battles  of  the 
Wilderness,"  the  excitement  was  painfully 
intense  in  the  Conference  room,  as  well  as 
elsewhere;  and  here  Bishop  Richardson  had 
the  opportunity  of  forming  an  impartial 
opinion  of  the  administrative  ability  of  the 
American  Bishops  in  that  trying  time ;  espe- 
cially of  the  cool  deliberation  of  Bishop  Ames. 
On  one  of  the  days  of  the  battles,  the  church 
was,  as  usual,  filled  with  the  delegates  and 
spectators,  Bishop  Ames  presiding.  Bishops 
Scott,  Morris,  Simpson,  Baker  and  Richard- 
son, together  with  the  representatives  from 
the  various  Methodist  bodies  in  England,  Ire- 


188 

land  and  Canada,  were  on  the  platform  with 
him,  and  all  the  officials  in  their  proper  places ; 
the  hour  for  adjournment  had  nearly  arrived, 
and  everything  was  progressing  as  usual, 
when  a  messenger  was  seen  to  approach  Rev. 
G.  Moody,  an  ex-officer  in  the  Northern  army, 
and  hand  him  a  telegram.  Immediately,  act- 
ing under  the  impulse  of  the  excitement  under 
which  all  were  laboring,  he  sprang  to  his  feet, 
and  with  the  voice  of  a  Boanerges  thrilling 
the  whole  audience,  exclaimed  :  "  Mr.  Presi- 
dent, I  have  this  moment  received  a  telegra- 
phic despatch.  General  Lee  has  surrendered. 
Grant  has  taken  the  whole  Southern  army ! 
Let  us  sing,  •'  Praise  God  from  whom  all  bles- 
sings flow.' ' 

The  announcement  came  upon  the  audience 
like  an  electric  shock ;  hundreds  leaped  from 
their  seats  in  wild  excitement,  but  Bishop 
Ames  was  on  his  feet  as  quickly  as  they. 
With  a  tone  and  volume  of  voice  that  both 
demanded  and  secured  instant  attention,  he 
exclaimed  :  "  Brethren,  I  should  like  to  see 
men  who,  in  the  time  of  such  an  excitement, 
are  able  to  stand  steady  in  their  boots.  It  is 


189 

not  likely  that  such  a  telegram  is  true.  We 
will  make  no  such  demonstration  at  present. 
What  reason  have  you,  Brother  Moody,  to 
believe  such  a  telegram  to  be  correct  ?" 

Mr.  Moody,  who  had  cooled  down  percep- 
tibly during  the  Bishop's  speech,  replied : 
"  Well,  Bishop,  if  it  is  not  true,  thank  God  it 
will  be  soon."  "  It  will  be  time  enough  then," 
said  the  Bishop,  "  to  sing  a  triumphant  song." 
And  as  coolly  as  if  no  interruption  had  oc- 
curred, he  proceeded  with  the  business  of  the 
Conference  till  the  regular  time  for  adjourn- 
ment. As  the  Bishop  had  thought,  the  tele- 
gram proved  to  be  a  canard,  and  our  impulsive 
Brother  Moody  had  to  wait  almost  a  year  for 
the  surrender  of  Lee's  army. 

After  having  made  a  very  pleasant  and 
profitable  visit,  Bishop  Richardson  left  the 
seat  of  the  General  Conference  and  proceeded 
to  Washington,  then  a  great  centre  of  attrac- 
tion from  a  military  point  of  view ;  and  after 
an  agreeable  stay  in  that  city,  and  after  visit- 
ing other  points  of  interest,  returned  home. 

Though  by  no  means  an  advocate  of  war, 
Bishop  Richardson  was  yet  far  from  being  an 


190 

advocate  of  "  peace  at  any  price."  If  hostili- 
ties were  pressed  upon  him,  he  would  meet 
force  by  force.  If  the  individual  subject  or 
citizen  would  persist  in  wrong-doing,  he  firmly 
believed  in  empowering  the  civil  magistrate 
with  authority  to  enforce  justice.  Though 
no  advocate  of  tyrannical  or  oppressive  gov- 
ernment, and  no  believer  in  the  "Divine 
right  of  kings,"  he  was,  nevertheless,  a  de- 
cided advocate  of  submission  to  constitutional 
authority. 

The  irruption  of  the  Fenians  into  Canada 
roused  all  the  old  soldier  in  the  Bishop.    The 
Bay  of  Quinte  Annual  Conference  was  in  ses- 
sion at  Napanee,  when  a  telegram  arrived 
announcing  the  startling  fact  that  the  Fenians 
had  crossed  the  Niagara  river,  and  were  march- 
ing on  Ridgeway.    As  soon  as  the  contents  of 
the  telegram  were  made  known  to  the  Con- 
ference, an  adjournment  took  place,  in  order 
to  consider  what  was  best  to  do  in  such  a 
crisis.     The  patriotic  Bishop,  flushed  with  a 
righteous  indignation,  at  once  expressed  his 
willingness  "to  risk  his  right  arm,  or  his  life, 
in  order  to  repulse  the  foe  and  drive  him  from 


191 

the  Province."  And  had  the  necessity  arisen, 
he  would  have  entered  the  field  against  the 
invaders  as  conscientiously  as  he  would  have 
entered  a  pulpit,  or  presided  over  a  Confer- 
ence. Loyalty  to  God  and  his  country,  up- 
rightness and  integrity  in  his  dealings  with 
his  fellow-men,  and  civil  and  religious  liberty 
for  all,  were  leading  articles  in  his  creed. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Albert  College — Cause  of  financial  embarrassments — The  Bishop's 
Journey  to  Europe  in  its  behalf — Incidents  of  the  voyage — Re- 
newal of  old  Friendships — Pleasant  Associations — Addresses  a 
meeting  at  Darlington  in  behalf  of  the  freed  Negroes — Aid  for 
the  object  of  Mission  from  some  Friends — Speaks  in  Exeter 
Hall — Excursion  to  the  Isle  of  Wight — Visits  places  of  interest 
in  England  and  Scotland — Illness — Restoration  —Visits  Ireland 
—  Return  home — Always  the  friend  of  liberal  education — The 
Canadian  Historical  Society — The  York  Pioneers. 

Albert  College  ( known  at  first  as  Belleville 
Seminary)  had  been  commenced  at  the  time 
when  the  whole  money  market  was  in  an  un- 
natural state  of  inflation,  and  the  contracts  for 
building,  furnishing,  &c.,  were  let,  when  prices 
in  every  department  of  labour  ruled  high. 
Before  it  was  finished,  and  fairly  in  working 
order,  the  great  financial  panic  came,  bring- 
ing ruin  to  thousands,  and  it  was  found  im- 
possible to  collect  a  very  large  amount  of  the 
subscriptions  on  the  College  Books.  The  ruin 
throughout  the  country  was  too  universal  to 
render  practicable  an  attempt  to  raise  any 
considerable  amount  by  new  subscriptions, 

and  the  College  Board  found  itself  hampered 

192 


193 

by  a  very  heavy  debt.     In  the  embarrass- 
ments arising  out   of  this   emergency,   and 
hoping  in  this  way  to  obtain  relief,  Bishop 
Richardson,  who  had  taken  a  warm  interest 
in  the  College  from  its  very  beginning,  was, 
in  1865,  requested  by  the  College  authori- 
ties to  visit  England,  and  solicit  aid  for  that 
institution.     After   some  hesitation  he  con- 
sented, and  in  this,  as  in  every  other  interest 
entrusted  to  him,  he  used  every  effort  which 
he  consistently  could  to  accomplish  the  object 
of  his  mission.     He  was  well  received  by  the 
ministers  of  the  Reformed  Methodist  Church, 
but  found  that  both  he  and  the  church   at 
home  had  been  misled,  by  the  representation 
that  large  amounts  would,  in  all  probability, 
be  contributed  by  the  people  of  this  denomi- 
nation for  the  work  of  education  in  Canada. 
They  had  as  much  as  they  could  well  do  to 
support  the  institutions  of  their  own  church, 
without  rendering  aid  to  strangers.     Several 
benevolent  individuals,  however,  contributed 
small  amounts,  so  that  the  Bishop's  visit  was 
not  altogether  fruitless,  financially. 

The  following  brief  account  of  his  voyage 
13 


194 

to,  and  stay  in  England,  we  have  been  enabled 
to  compile  from  accounts  of  the  journey,  kind- 
ly furnished  by  the  Bishop's  daughter,  Mrs. 
Brett,  of  Toronto,  who  accompanied  her 
father,  and  also  from  the  Rev.  E.  Woodcock, 
of  the  Bay  of  Quinte  Conference. 

The  venerable  Bishop  left  Toronto  on  the 
2nd  of  February,  1865,  by  the  Inman  Steam- 
ship, Glasgow.  It  being  a  winter  passage  and 
consequently  somewhat  rough,  there  was  con- 
siderable sea-sickness  experienced  by  the  pass- 
engers, but  the  Bishop  being  an  old  sailor. 
was  happily  exempt  from  the  inconvenience 
arising  from  this  dread  of  all  voyagers. 

So  soon  as  a  suitable  opportunity  occurred 
after  the  voyage  had  begun,  he  spoke  to  the 
Captain,  who  appears  to  have  been  an  excel- 
lent person,  and  requested  the  privilege  of 
daily  reading  the  Scriptures  to,  and  praying 
with,  such  of  the  passengers  and  crew  as 
might  see  fit  to  be  present  at  such  devotional 
exercises.  The  Captain  readily  consented, 
and  the  Bishop  entered  on  his  work  with 
good  effect.  It  will  be  remembered  by  those 
who  were  acquainted  with  this  eminent 


195 

servant  of  God,  that  he  had  an  interesting 
method  of  commenting  on  the  Scripture 
lesson  for  the  day,  as  he  read  it,  whether  he 
was  engaged  in  family  worship,  or  pulpit  ex- 
ercises; and  it  is  not,  therefore,  surprising 
that  these  services  on  shipboard  were  seasons 
of  profit,  to  those  who  attended  them.  He 
also  preached  by  invitation  of  the  Captain,  on 
the  Sabbath.  Thus  on  the  sea,  as  well  as  on 
the  land,  he  gladly  proclaimed  the  tidings  of 
salvation  to  those  by  whom  he  was  surround- 
ed. Nor  was  the  favorable  impression  made 
upon  the  mind  of  the  Captain  evanescent,  for 
about  a  year  after  this  voyage  he  (the  Cap- 
tain )  in  conversation  with  two  laymen  of  the 
M.  E.  Church,  Messrs.  Wm.  Bow,  and  Chas. 
Lane,  who  were  going  out  to  England  in  his 
ship,  informed  them  that  he  considered 
"  Bishop  Richardson  one  of  the  finest  gentle- 
men who  had  ever  sailed  in  his  vessel. >?  The 
other  incidents  on  board  the  ship  were  such 
as  commonly  occur  during  a  tedious  winter 
voyage. 

The  vessel  reached  Liverpool  on   Sabbath 
morning,  the  19th  February,  and  in  the  even- 


196 

ing  of  that  day  the  Bishop  had  the  pleasure 
of  again  engaging  in  worship  with  a  public 
congregation  on  land,  attending  the  service 
in  the  New  Connexion  Methodist  Chapel  on 
Hotham  St.  The  day  following  he  left  Liver- 
pool, and  having  made  a  short  stay  at  Wigan  he 
proceeded  to  Hanley  (Staffordshire  Potteries). 
Here  he  visited  his  old  friend  Kev.  Dr.  Crofts 
with  whom  he  had  formed  an  acquaintance 
some  years  previously,  in  Canada.  The 
Bishop  took  counsel  with  Dr.  Crofts,  concern- 
ing the  formation  of  plans  for  the  furtherance 
of  the  object  of  his  mission,  and  prolonged 
his  stay  in  Hanley  two  or  three  days,  being 
entertained  by  a  kind  Christian  family  named 
Marti  a.  Mrs.  Brett,  meanwhile,  was  enter- 
tained by  her  friend  Mrs.  Crofts,  with  whom 
she  remained  for  some  weeks,  This  pleasant 
visit  over,  he  proceeded  to  Manchester,  Leeds, 
Sheffield  and  other  cities,  to  deliver  the  in- 
troductory letters  of  which  he  was  the  bearer. 
The  letters  were  intended  to  advance  the 
interests  of  the  College,  but  in  none  of  these 
cities  did  the  Bishop  meet  with  the  measure 
of  success  which  he  had  been  led  to  expect. 


197 

While  in  Leeds,  a  friend  informed  him  of  a 
meeting  to  be  held  in  Darlington,  to  aid  the 
freed  Negroes.  He  had  taken  a  deep  interest 
in  the  unfortunate  slaves  during  the  years  of 
their  cruel  bondage,  and  felt  no  diminution  of 
that  interest  in  their  condition  now  that  they 
had  been  declared  free;  therefore  he  took  the 
opportunity  of  attending  the  meeting.  He  was 
invited  to  address  the  audience,  and  says  :  "  I 
had  much  pleasure  in  informing  the  friends 
of  the  poor  fugitives  of  the  great  aid  and 
sympathy  which  was  shown  to  them  on  their 
arrival  in  Canada,  and  in  narrating  many 
incidents  of  much  interest,  relative  to  their 
peculiar  characteristics.  As  the  meeting  was 
principally  under  the  auspices  of  the  Society 
of  Friends,  I  received  much  kindness  from 
them  personally,  as  well  as  aid  for  the  mission 
with  which  I  was  more  intimately  con- 
nected. " 

At  Nottingham  an  incident  occurred  which 
quite  encouraged  him.  He  had  been  invited 
to  attend  a  tea-meeting  at  this  place,  held  by 
the  New  Connexion  Methodists,  and  while 
enjoying  himself  there,  a  worthy  gentleman, 


198 

to  whom  he  had  been  previously  introduced, 
came  to  him  and  said  that  he  had  been  so 
much  pleased  with  his  prayer  at  Hanover 
chapel,  that  he  would  give  him  £5  sterling 
towards  the  Canadian  work.  After  some  time 
spent  in  the  cities  before  mentioned,  he  re- 
turned to  Hanley,  where,  upon  Easter  Mon- 
day, he  had  the  pleasure  of  speaking  at  a 
temperance  meeting,  which  was  held  in  a 
school-house  connected  with  the  Established 
Church.  The  incumbent  of  this  church  was 
an  excellent  evangelical  clergyman,  and  treat- 
ed the  Bishop  with  marked  attention  and 
kindness. 

On  the  19th  of  April  the  Bishop  left  Han- 
ley  for  London,  visiting  Birmingham  on  the 
way,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Brett.  He  arrived 
in  the  capital  on  the  21st,  and  took  lodgings 
for  himself  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  that  he 
might  the  more  advantageously  prosecute  his 
work ;  his  daughter  was  kindly  entertained 
by  Rev.  Dr.  Cooke  and  his  amiable  wife. 

Eeferring  to  his  stay  in  London,  Bishop 
Richardson  writes  :  "  I  would  here  express 
the  gratitude  I  feel  for  the  kindness  and  aid 


199 

I  received  from  Dr.  Cooke,  and  many  other 
of  the  Methodist  New  Connexion  ministers 
and  laymen  ;  also  for  the  marked  friendship 
and  help  given  by  many  ministers  and  laymen 
of  the  United  Free  Methodist  Church.  When- 
ever it  was  practicable.  I  felt  much  pleasure 
in  taking  part  in  any  of  their  public  meetings, 
and  in  preaching  for  them  when  invited  to 
do  so." 

The  Bishop  remained  about  three  weeks  in 
London,  during  part  of  which  time  the  cele- 
brated May  Meetings  were  in  progress.  Sev- 
eral of  these  interesting  gatherings  he  attend- 
ed, and  spoke  in  Exeter  Hall  again  on  behalf 
of  the  much  abused  African.  He  visited  most 
of  the  places  of  interest  in  London,  and  then, 
wearied  in  mind  and  body,  was  glad  to  leave 
for  Cambridge  to  visit  a  friend,  Mr.  Johnson, 
who  received  him  with  kind  hospitality,  and 
gladly  showed  himself  and  companion  every- 
thing of  interest  in  that  quaint  old  town. 
From  Cambridge  he  returned  to  London  for 
a  few  days,  and  thence  Mrs.  Brett  and  he 
continued  their  journey  to  Sussex,  to  enjoy 
the  hospitality  of  some  friends  who  were 


200 

expecting  them.  After  several  days  of  rest 
spent  in  this  beautiful  part  of  merry  England, 
they  took  the  South  Eastern  Railway  for 
Southampton,  to  visit  some  old  Toronto 
friends,  who  were  delighted  once  mere  to  meet 
their  former  acquaintances  and  recall  the  plea- 
sant reminiscences  of  other  years,  or  enquire 
concerning  the  present  state  of  affairs  in  that 
city. 

Both  the  Bishop  and  his  daughter  were  par- 
ticularly delighted  with  an  excursion  to  the 
Isle  of  Wight,  taken  in  company  with  these 
valued  friends.  The  day  was  most  pleasant ; 
the  scenery  such  as  would  tempt  an  artist  or 
a  poet  into  lingering  longer  than  prudence 
would  dictate;  and  the  various  objects  visited 
were  of  the  most  interesting  character. 

They  returned  to  London  by  the  South 
Western  Railway,  which  afforded  them  the 
opportunity  of  seeing  more  of  the  country. 

From  London  the  Bishop  proceeded  to  New- 
cas tie-on -Ty ne,  in  order  to  be  present  at  the 
Methodist  New  Connexion  Conference,  which 
he  had  been  invited  to  attend.  Here,  by  in- 
vitation, he  occupied  a  seat  in  the  Conference, 
and  enjoyed  very  pleasant  intercourse  with 


201 

some  of  the  preachers,  who  had  been  old 
friends.  Three  days  were  spent  very  hap- 
pily and  profitably  at  the  seat  of  Conference, 
and  then  our  travellers  proceeded  to  Scotland. 
They  made  a  short  stay  in  Edinburgh,  visit- 
ing the  various  places  of  historic  or  romantic 
interest  there. 

At  Farres  they  were  hospitably  entertained 
by  some  relatives  of  Mrs.  Dr.  Richardson, 
with  whom  they  visited  many  of  those  beau- 
tiful glens  which  abound  in  that  part  of  the 
country.  Mountain,  glen  and  glade  contri- 
buted to  render  the  scenery  delightful,  espe- 
cially as  it  was  now  sunny  summer  weather  ; 
but  even  there  unmixed  pleasure  was  not  to 
be  enjoyed.  While  on  one  of  these  pleasant 
excursions,  the  Bishop  became  so  ill  that  he 
was  obliged  to  return  to  the  house  of  his 
friend,  whose  son,  Dr.  Silander,  prescribed 
for  him  with  such  beneficial  effect,  that,  cou- 
pled with  Mrs.  Silander's  good  nursing,  he 
was  soon  convalescent.  As  soon  as  he  was 
sufficiently  recovered,  he  set  out  on  his  return 
to  England,  taking  Glasgow  on  the  route. 
Here  he  made  a  short  stay,  and,  like  all  tour- 


202 

ists,  was  enchanted  with  the  scenery  along 
the  Clyde.  His  stay  in  Britain  was  now 
drawing  near  its  termination.  From  Glasgow 
he  proceeded  to  Liverpool,  and  from  Liver- 
pool once  more  to  Hanley,  to  spend  a  few  last 
days  with  his  friends  there.  He  preached 
for  Dr.  Crofts  in  Bethesda  chapel,  and  again 
spent  some  time  with  his  kind  friends  the 
Martins.  At  Hanley  he  met  with  Rev.  T. 
Allin,  the  author  of  several  religious  works. 
Mr.  Allin,  until  the  infirmities  of  old  age 
came  upon  him,  had  been  a  very  useful  min- 
ister of  the  Methodist  New  Connexion  Church. 
At  the  time  of  the  Bishop's  visit  he  was  81, 
and  very  feeble ;  but  he  was  quite  cheerful, 
confident  and  happy,  "  waiting  his  dismissal 
from  the  body."  As  this  aged  servant  of 
God  made  his  home  at  Mr.  Martin's,  the  Bishop 
had  the  pleasure  of  enjoying  profitable  con- 
versation with  him. 

The  Bishop's  health  continued  poor,  and 
before  embarking  for  home  he  consulted  Dr. 
Ireland,  of  Kirkham,  by  whose  skill  and  care 
he  was  again  enabled  to  resume  his  journey. 
From  Kirkham  he  proceeded  once  more  to 


203 

Wigan,  to  visit  Rev.  Mr.  Roaf,  who  had  been 
pastor  of  a  Congregational  church  there  for 
34  years,  and  who  was  much  beloved  by  his 
people.  The  Bishop  preached  in  Mr.  Roaf's 
church,  and  spent  several  days  with  him  in 
visiting  places  of  interest  in  the  vicinity. 
Thence  he  took  train  for  Liverpool,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  Dublin,  where  he  visited  the  Exhi- 
bition. He  made  but  a  short  stay  in  the  Irish 
capital,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  July  took  pas- 
sage, with  his  daughter,  on  board  the  Cam- 
bria for  home,  where  he  arrived  on  the  1st 
of  August,  after  an  absence  of  about  six 
months.  He  was  sadly  disappointed  that  he 
had  not  been  more  successful  in  the  object 
for  which  he  had  undertaken  his  wearisome 
voyage,  but  he  did  not  allow  his  interest  in 
the  institution  to  flag. 

From  the  commencement  of  his  public  career 
he  was  a  decided  advocate  of  a  liberal  educa- 
tion, and  threw  himself  heartily  into  the  work 
of  advancing  the  interests  of  the  Upper  Canada 
Academy  (now  Victoria  College),  when  that 
institution  was  first  started.  In  him  Albert 
College  found  a  warm  friend  and  influential 


204 

supporter.  For  several  of  the  later  years  of 
his  life,  he  was  one  of  the  most  highly  hon- 
ored of  the  Senators  of  our  University,  and 
no  one  was  more  eminently  fitted  for  the 
position.  He  delighted  in  the  mental,  moral 
and  religious  advancement  of  the  young  peo- 
ple of  Canada,  manifesting  a  deep  interest  in 
everything  tending  to  that  object,  from  the 
infant  class  in  the  Sunday  school  to  the  grad- 
uating class  in  the  University. 

But  much  as  the  Bishop  loved  his  own 
church  and  her  institutions,  and  warm  an 
interest  as  he  took  in  other  purely  religious 
and  temperance  societies,  he  did  not  confine 
himself  to  exclusive  association  with  them. 
Other  societies  and  associations,  designed  for 
the  advancement  of  objects  he  deemed  worthy, 
had  his  countenance  and  sympathy. 

Patriotic  through  his  whole  career,  he  took 
especial  interest  in  the  Canadian  "  Historical 
Society,"  furnishing  it  with  an  interesting 
sketch  of  the  incidents  of  the  war  of  1812- 
1815  which  came  under  his  immediate  notice, 
and  giving  such  other  information,  as,  from 
his  position  in  the  navy,  he  was  possessed  of. 


205 

Nor  were  the  old  veterans  who  had  fought 
for  the  same  cause  as  he  had,  nor  the  aged 
settlers  with  whom  he  had  associated  in  his 
early  years,  overlooked  or  forgotten.  no\v  that 
he  was  in  the  decline  of  life. 

On  the  formation  of  the  association  of  the 
York  Pioneers,  he  considered  it  not  at  all  out 
of  place  for  him  to  associate  himself  with 
them,  though  it  was  a  purely  secular  society, 
and  he  took  a  very  warm  interest  in  their 
proceedings.  The  following  extracts  from 
papers  furnished  to  the  author,  show  the  re- 
lation the  Bishop  held  to  the  York  Pioneers, 
and  the  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by 
them : 

Memo,  of  Dr.  Richardson's  connection  with  the  York 
Pioneers. 

Shortly  after  the  organization  of  the  York  Pion- 
eers (an  association  designed  to  perpetuate  historical 
reminiscences  of  the  early  settlement  of  the  town  and 
county  of  York,  and  to  bring  together  in  social  inter- 
course the  surviving  inhabitants  of  the  locality),  Dr. 
Richardson,  who  had  for  nearly  fifty  years  been  a 
resident  in  it,  became  a  member.  His  advanced  age, 
high  position  in  the  community,  and,  above  all,  his 


206 

many  estimable  qualities,  soon  placed  him  in  the 
President's  chair,  which  he  continued  to  fill  at  the 
unanimous  desire  of  his  associates,  up  to  the  time  of 
his  lamented  death. 

They  will  ever  bear  in  affectionate  remembrance 
the  lively  interest  he  at  all  times  evinced  for  the 
success  of  the  association,  and  the  genial  manner  in 
which  he  presided  at  its  meetings,  whether  for  busi- 
ness or  social  enjoyment.  With  a  memory  well 
stored  with  facts  and  anecdotes  of  early  times,  he 
delighted  in  the  opportunities  these  gatherings 
afforded  him  of  relating  them ;  while  those  who 
were  privileged  to  listen  to  his  interesting  addresses 
at  the  annual  festivals,  will  recall  with  pleasure 
the  historic  incidents  and  the  wise  and  patriotic 
sentiments  with  which  they  abounded. 

At  a  numerously  attended  meeting  of  the  Pioneers, 
held  shortly  after  his  decease,  the  following  minute 
was  adopted,  and  ordered  to  be  communicated  to 
the  family  of  their  lamented  friend,  with  the  sincere 
expressions  of  sympathy  under  mutual  loss  : 

"  The  Association  of  York  Pioneers  find  it  diffi- 
cult to  express  adequately  their  deep  sense  of  the 
loss  which  they  have  experienced  in  the  death  of 
their  late  venerated  President,  Rev.  James  Rich- 
ardson, D.D.  In  common  with  the  whole  commu- 
nity, they  mourn  the  removal  from  their  midst  of 
one  who  was  truly  eminent  for  his  public  and  pri- 


207 

vate  virtues ;  distinguished  by  the  manifestation 
throughout  a  long  life,  and  in  a  singular  variety  of 
spheres  of  action,  of  sterling  qualities,  which  will 
render  his  memory,  as  a  Christian  and  as  a  man^ 
ever  dear  to  themselves,  and  of  inestimable  value  to 
the  country  at  large." 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Increased  activity  after  the  death  of  Bishop  Smith — Remarkable 
mental  and  physical  vigor — Pains-taking  as  presiding  officer — 
General  Conference  of  1874—  Election  and  ordination  of  Bishop 
Carman — Last  scene  in  Bishop  Richardson's  conferential  life — 
111,  and  obliged  to  leave  the  Conference  room  as  soon  as  he  had 
placed  his  associate  in  the  chair — Relief  and  satisfaction  afforded 
him  by  the  appointment  of  his  colleague — Recovery  and  return 
to  former  activity — Last  pulpit  services-— Last  text— Incidents 
of  homeward  journey — Last  illness — State  of  his  mind — Death. 

The  years  between  1865  and  1870  passed 
without  being  marked  by  any  special  event, 
the  time  being  filled  up  by  the  ordinary  rou- 
tine duties  of  his  office,  with  this  exception, 
that  as  Bishop  Smith  grew  more  and  more 
feeble  with  age,  and,  in  consequence,  became 
more  incapacitated  for  carrying  out  that  part 
of  the  work  allotted  to  him,  Bishop  Richard- 
son became  correspondingly  more  active,  being 
determined  that  no  department  of  church  work 
should  suffer  from  the  failing  health  of  his 
honored  colleague. 

In  March,  1870,  the  saintly  Smith  passed 
over  the  flood,  and  for  nearly  the  whole  of 
208 


209 

the  remaining  five  years  of  Bishop  Richard- 
son's life,  the  entire  weight  of  this  responsible 
office  rested  upon  him,  then  in  his  eightieth 
year.  The  amount  of  work  accomplished  by 
Bishop  Richardson,  during  the  four  years, 
from  1870  to  1874,  would  have  worn  out  the 
constitution  of  many  younger  men ;  but  with 
additional  labor  and  responsibility,  came  addi- 
tional bodily  strength.  Indeed,  for  a  time, 
he  seemed  almost  to  have  renewed,  if  not  his 
youth,  at  least  the  vigor  of  mature  manhood. 
For  two  or  three  years  previous  to  his  death, 
it  might  have  been  said  of  him,  as  was  said 
of  the  ancient  leader  and  law-giver  of  the 
hosts  of  Israel,  that  "  his  eye  was  not  dim ;" 
and  though  it  could  not  be  averred  that  "  his 
natural  force  was  not  abated,"  yet  it  might 
very  truthfully  have  been  said  that  few  men 
of  his  years  possessed  his  vigor. 

During  this  period  he  frequently  conducted 
his  pulpit  services  without  the  aid  of  specta- 
cles, and  also  the  business  of  Conference.  Nor 
did  he  make  his  dispensing  with  glasses  an 
excuse  for  accomplishing  less  personal  labor 
than  before,  in  the  Conference  room.  He  kept 
14 


210 

a  record  of  the  business  transacted  in  the  Con- 
ferences, so  that  he  might  see  that  all  the 
items  were  taken  up  in  their  proper  order, 
and  thus  prevent  irregularities.  The  Con- 
ferences latterly  considered  the  task  quite  too 
laborious  for  him,  and  repeatedly  offered  him 
the  assistance  of  a  private  secretary  ;  but  he 
persistently  refused  the  proffered  aid. 

For  a  year  or  two  past  it  became  evident 
that  his  system  was  beginning  to  give  way, 
although  the  Bishop  himself  did  not  seem  to 
realize  that  this  was  the  case.  In  labors  he 
still  continued  abundant.  It  was  simply 
astonishing  the  number  of  churches  which  he 
dedicated,  and  the  other  public  meetings  of 
importance  over  which  he  presided,  in  various 
parts  of  the  Province,  during  the  two  years 
preceding  his  death. 

He  still  presided  over  the  Conferences,  and 
other  associations  of  which  he  was  president, 
with  remarkable  ability,  and  his  decisions 
upon  points  of  ecclesiastical  law  were  as  clear, 
concise,  and  in  as  full  accord  with  the  consti- 
tution of  the  Church  as  they  had  ever  been. 
In  his  pulpit  exercises  he  was  nearly  as  vig- 
orous as  in  his  earlier  ministerial  career. 


211 

We  come  now  to  his  last  discharge  of  the 
duties  pertaining  to  his  office,  at  the  General 
Conference  held  at  Napanee,  August,  1874. 
Here  the  energies  of  his  body  and  mind  were 
taxed  to  the  uttermost ;  yet  he  conducted  the 
business  of  the  Conference  with  patience  and 
ability ;  and,  until  nearly  the  close  of  the 
lengthy  session,  without  apparent  fatigue. 

Four  years  previously  he  had  been  desirous 
for  the  appointment  and  consecration  of  a 
suitable  person  as  his  associate  in  office,  that 
he  might  be  relieved  of  part  of  his  labor ;  and 
now  the  desire  for  such  an  associate  amounted 
to  extreme  solicitude.  When,  therefore,  Rev. 
Dr.  Carman  was  elected,  the  venerable  patri- 
arch appeared  anxious  for  the  moment  to 
arrive  when  he  might  ordain  his  longed-for 
colleague,  alas !  so  soon  to  become  his  succes- 
sor. An  evening  session  was  appointed  for 
the  solemn  service,  and  by  the  time  the  hour 
had  arrived,  the  church  was  crowded  to  wit- 
ness the  impressive  ceremony. 

The  proper  arrangements  having  been 
made,  Bishop  Richardson  entered  the  altar 
to  proceed  with  the  ordination.  None  then 


212 

knew  that  he  was  about  to  exercise,  for  the 
last  time,  his  duties  as  a  Bishop.  Venerable 
and  noble  in  person,  benign  and  dignified  in 
appearance,  his  usually  pale  countenance 
crowned  by  his  snowy  locks,  it  is  no  wonder 
that  he  was  the  principal  object  of  attraction 
on  that  eventful  evening. 

He  stated  to  one  of  the  brethren  near  him 
that  he  was  very  ill ;  scarcely  able  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  service ;  but  that  he  felt  the 
ordination  of  the  Bishop  elect  must  be  pro- 
ceeded with  at  once,  as  he  was  unable  to 
conduct  the  remaining  business  of  the  Con- 
ference, and  close  it  as  he  wished  it  to  be 
done. 

Having  rested  a  little,  and  all  being  in 
readiness,  Dr.  Carman,  as  Bishop  elect,  and 
the  brethren  selected  to  take  part  in  the 
exercises  being  assembled  around  the  altar 
railing,  the  Bishop  proceeeded  with  the 
Consecration  Service,  and  ordained  Albert 
Carman,  D.D.,  to  the  office  of  Bishop  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Canada.  After 
the  conclusion  of  the  ordination  services, 
which  all  the  circumstances  contributed  to 


213 

render  remarkably  impressive,  the  aged 
Bishop  appeared  somewhat  refreshed,  and 
concluded  his  part  of  the  exercises  with  an 
address  to  the  Conference  and  congregation, 
on  the  scriptural  polity  of  the  Church,  and 
the  success  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  had 
vouchsafed  to  this  branch  of  His  Zion. 

This  was  his  last  address  to  a  Conference — 
his  last  conferential  act. 

Bishop  Richardson,  having  placed  Bishop 
Carman  in  the  chair  to  finish  up  the  business 
of  the  session,  retired  to  obtain  rest. 

It  is  rather  a  strange  coincidence  that 
Bishop  Richardson,  having  been  so  unusually 
hale  for  a  man  of  his  years,  and  having  borne 
the  work  and  worry  of  the  Conference  with 
so  little  apparent  fatigue  till  the  appointment 
of  the  new  Bishop,  should  have  been  com- 
pelled by  physical  suffering  to  leave  the 
Conference  room  as  soon  as  he  had  placed  his 
associate  in  the  chair. 

He  evidently  experienced  the  same  feel- 
ings as  Moses  did  when  he  exclaimed,  "  Let 
the  Lord,  the  God  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh 
set  a  man  over  the  congregation  which  may 


214 

go  out  before  them,  and  which  may  go  in  be- 
fore them,  and  which  may  lead  them  out  and 
which  may  bring  them  in  ;  that  the  congre- 
gation of  the  Lord  be  not  as  sheep  which 
have  no  shepherd.  And  as  Joshua  was 
the  man  appointed  to  lead  the  people  on  to 
conquest  in  Canaan  after  Moses  should  be 
gathered  to  his  fathers,  so  was  Dr.  Carman 
selected  to  lead  the  host  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  Canada  on  to  glorious 
spiritual  conquests.  "  Moses  laid  his  hands  on 
Joshua,  and  the  children  of  Israel  hearkened 
unto  him  and  did  as  the  Lord  commanded 
Moses;"  and  from  the  excellent  spirit  mani- 
fested by  the  ministers  and  people  of  our 
Church  towards  Bishop  Carman  since  his 
appointment  to  the  General  Superintendency 
of  the  Church,  it  is  fair  to  infer  that  the  en- 
tire connexion  is  ready  to  exclaim,  "All  that 
thou  commandest  us,  we  will  do,  and  whither- 
soever thou  sendest  us,  w^e  will  go." 

"  According  as  we  have  hearkened  unto 
Moses  in  all  things,  so  will  we  hearken  unto 
thee;  only  the  Lord  thy  God  be  with  thee  as 
he  was  with  Moses." 


215 

Reference  has  been  made  to  Bishop  Rich- 
ardson's earnest"  wish  for  an  associate  in 
office.  He  was  now  very  far  advanced  in 
years,  and  needed  assistance  in  his  arduous 
labors,  and  in  addition,  he  fully  realized  the 
fact  that  it  was  not  probable  he  would  live 
to  preside  over  another  General  Conference, 
and  he  was  exceedingly  anxious  that  the 
coming  Bishop  should  be  a  man  of  marked 
and  judicial  ability,  of  undoubted  piety  ^  and 
whose  attachment  to  the  distinctive  features 
of  our  Church  polity  was  not  only  unques- 
tioned, but  unquestionable. 

All  these  requisites  he  believed  Dr.  Carman 
possessed  in  an  eminent  degree,  and  he  was 
therefore  well  pleased  with  the  selection 
made  by  the  Conference. 

After  the  close  of  the  General  Conference, 
Bishop  Richardson  returned  to  his  home  at 
Cloverhill.  Toronto,  where  he  rested  for  some 
time,  and,  to  appearance,  regained  his  accus- 
tomed health.  In  October,  he  met  with  the 
Book  Committee  in  Hamilton,  presiding  with 
his  usual  ability. 

During  the   autumn    and  winter  he  was 


216 

actively  at  work,  as  earnestly  as  ever  watching 
over  every  department  of  tHe  Church,  giving 
especial  attention  to  the  questions  submitted 
by  the  General  Conference  for  the  action  of 
the  Quarterly  Meeting  Conferences.  His  ar- 
ticles on  all  Church  matters  published  in 
The  Canada  OJiristian  Advocate,  were  still 
very  clear,  and  his  views  of  constitutional 
questions  forcibly  presented  and  firmly  "main- 
tained. And  in  these  last  judicial  utterances 
he  was  careful  to  show  his  esteemed  junior 
colleague  all  due  respect.  If  we  have  been 
correctly  informed,  he  never  sent  an  official 
line  to  the  press,  after  the  General  Confer- 
ence at  Napanee,  without  consulting  Bishop 
Carman,  and  having  his  full  concurrence 
thereto.  Besides  the  official  labor  referred  to 
above,  he  attended  numerous  dedications, 
anniversaries,  and  other  public  demonstra- 
tions, preaching  and  presiding  with  great 
acceptability.  His  appearance,  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  he  conducted  his  part  of  the 
dedicatory  service  at  Strathroy,  in  the  winter, 
will  not  soon  be  forgotten  by  those  whose 
privilege  it  W;is  to  be  present. 


217 

Bishop   Richardson's    last  public   services 
were  held  on  the  Ancaster  Circuit.     He  had 
arranged  with  Rev.  W.  H.  Shaw  to  preach 
the  anniversary  sermon  at  Salem  Church,  on" 
this  circuit,  on  Sabbath,  21st  of  February. 

Whenever  he  could  do  so,  he  preferred 
travelling  by  his  own  conveyance  rather  than 
by  rail,  as  he  very  much  disliked  inhaling 
the  foul  air  with  which  the  cars  are  generally 
charged,  in  consequence  of  a  lack  of  proper 
ventilation ;  and  as  he  had  ascertained  that 
a  son  of  Mr.  Shaw,  who  was  then  residing  in 
Toronto,  purposed  going  to  Ancaster  at  the 
same  time,  he  arranged  for  the  young  man  to 
go  with  him  and  drive,  the  distance  being 
about  sixty  miles ;  thus  he  thought  he  would 
avoid  unnecessary  exposure  on  the  one  hand, 
and  the  annoyance  of  the  cars  on  the  other ; 
and,  in  addition,  it  would  afford  him  an  op- 
portunity of  visiting  several  old,  tried  friends, 
with  whom  he  delighted  to  review  the  past, 
and  anticipate  a  prosperous  future  for  the 
Church. 

The  Bishop  and  his  young  companion  left 
Cloverhill  on  the   morning  of  the  19th  of 


218 

February,  and  although  the  weather  was  cold, 
they  journeyed  on  with  tolerable  comfort,  and 
reached  the  residence  of  Mr.  Peter  Fisher, 
of  Port  Nelson,  sometime  in  the  afternoon  of 
that  day.  Mr.  Fisher  and  the  Bishop  had 
been  old  acquaintances  of  over  forty  years 
standing,  and  during  all  that  time  had  main- 
tained a  warm  personal  friendship  with  each 
other.  The  evening  was  spent  in  the  most 
social,  agreeable,  and  profitable  manner, 
talking  over  the  past  history  of  the  Church, 
and  of  the  country,  with  which  both  men 
had  grown  old.  The  Bishop's  memory  was 
very  retentive,  and  he  was  particularly  cor- 
rect in  giving  dates,  so  that  his  conversation, 
interspersed  as  it  was  with  incidents  in  rela- 
tion to  the  early  settlement  of  the  country, 
was  extremely  interesting.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Fisher  had  always  highly  appreciated  the 
Bishop's  visits  to  their  house,  and  never 
were  they  more  pleased  and  profited  with 
one,  than  on  this  occasion. 

On  Saturday  the  travellers  reached  the 
Ancaster  Parsonage,  where  every  attention 
was  paid  to  the  Bishop's  comfort  by  Brother 


219 

and  Sister  Shaw,  and  their  family.  Salem 
church  was  distant  from  the  parsonage  a  few 
miles,  and  the  Bishop  was  driven  over  in  the 
morning.  He  preached  to  a  crowded  house, 
with  great  freedom  and  power,  from  1st  Peter 
i :  3rd  and  4th  verses ;  and  again  in  the  even- 
ing, in  the  village  of  Ancaster,  from  Phil,  i : 
21,  "  For  me  to  live  is  Christ,  and  to  die  is 
gain."  How  suitable  a  text  for  his  last  pro- 
clamation of  the  glorious  Gospel  of  Christ. 
Speaking  of  the  Bishop's  preaching  that  day, 
Mr.  Shaw  says :  "  The  friends  remarked  to 
me  on  the  unction  and  power  which  accom- 
panied his  words."  On  Monday  evening  he 
attended  the  anniversary  tea-meeting  in  the 
Salem  church,  where  he  met  several  of  the 
preachers,  with  whom  he  conversed  freely  in 
relation  to  various  matters  concerning  the 
general  interests  of  the  Church;  and  also 
delivered  his  excellent  lecture  on  "  The  early 
settlement  of  Canada."  This  was  his  last 
public  appearance ;  his  work  was  almost  done. 
On  Tuesday,  he  and  young  Mr.  Shaw  set 
out  on  their  return  to  Toronto,  the  Bishop  to 
all  appearances  in  his  usual  health.  They 


220 

dined  and  rested  for  the  time  at  Mr.  Peter 
Fisher's,  and  that  afternoon  proceeded  to 
Palermo,  where  they  remained  over  night, 
stopping  with  Dr.  Buck.  The  evening  at  Dr. 
Buck's  was  spent  in  a  manner  similar  to  the 
one  spent  at  Mr.  Fisher's  the  week  previous. 
After  family  worship  the  Bishop  retired,  still 
apparently  well,  and  as  was  his  custom,  rose 
early  next  morning.  He  conducted  the 
family  worship  that  morning,  commenting 
freely  on  the  lesson  read,  and  engaged  in 
prayer  with  great  freedom.  That  morning, 
while  seated  at  the  breakfast  table,  he  remark- 
ed to  the  Dr.  and  his  wife,  that  he  had  had  a 
singular  dream  the  night  before.  He  dream- 
ed, he  said,  that  his  mother,  who  had  been 
dead  over  sixty  years,  came  to  him,  and  ap- 
peared very  pleasant,  and  as  natural  as  when 
he  had  seen  her  last  in  his  youth.  He  was 
but  eighteen  when  she  died,  and  he  had  not 
dreamt  of  her  before  for  many  years.  The 
conversation  turned  on  the  singularity  of 
dreams,  sometimes,  and  the  matter  dropped 
without  further  explanation.  Shortly  after 
breakfast,  the  journey  towards  home  was  re- 


221 

sumed,  but  they  had  travelled  only  a  short 
distance  when  he  remarked  to  Shaw,  "  Hector, 
I  feel  so  strangely.  I  never  felt  so  before. 
*My  sight  is  so  dim."  The  young  man  sug- 
gested that  it  might  be  the  reflection  of  the 
sun  upon  the  snow,  but  the  Bishop  insisted 
that  that  could  not  be  the  cause  of  the  dizzi- 
ness he  experienced,  and  of  the  strange  sen- 
sations affecting  his  whole  system.  They 
drove  as  rapidly  as  possible  to  the  house  of  a 
brother  Stafford,  on  Dundas  St.  He  was 
urged  to  lie  down,  but  refused  to  do  so,  rest- 
ing, however,  in  an  easy  chair.  At  dinner 
he  ate  very  sparingly,  and  afterwards  still 
continued  to  complain  of  dizziness  in  his  head, 
and  feeling  so  strangely.  Being  anxious  to 
reach  home  they  left  Mr.  Stafford's  shortly 
after  dinner,  he  being  still  troubled  with  the 
dizziness  and  occasional  dimness  of  sight.  Dur- 
ing the  drive  home  he  conversed  with  his 
young  friend,  at  intervals,  in  his  usual  kind 
and  instructive  manner,  giving  him  a  short 
synopsis  of  the  history  of  the  Mormons,  and 
also  conversing  at  some  length  on  the  subject 
of  future  punishment,  and  on  some  of  the 


222 

striking  features  of  Romanism.  They  reach- 
ed home  about  four  o'clock  P.M.,  and  the 
Bishop  at  once  sought  rest.  He  rested  pretty 
well  through  the  night,  and  met  his  young* 
friend  at  breakfast  next  morning ;  and  on 
bidding  him  good  bye,  promised  to  revisit 
Ancaster  Circuit  on  the  9th  of  March — the 
very  day  on  which  he  died.  Becoming  worse, 
he  sent  for  his  son,  Dr.  J.  H.  Richardson,  who 
entertained  but  slight  hopes  of  his  recovery 
from  the  moment  he  saw  him.  Everything 
was  done  to  relieve  him,  that  medical  skill 
could  devise,  or  that  affection  could  suggest, 
but  he  continued  to  sink  away. 

During  his  illness,  which  lasted  from  the 
24th  of  February,  till  the  9th  of  March,  the 
Bishop  wras  visited  from  time  to  time,  as  pru- 
dence permitted,  by  a  large  number  of  the 
ministers  of  his  own  church,  and  also  by  those 
of  other  denominations  in  Toronto  and  vicinity. 
Rev.  Mr.  Shaw  visited  him  on  the  day  he  was  to 
have  been  with  him  in  Ancaster,  and  remarks 
that  the  Bishopcon versed  with  him  concerning 
his  future  home,  calmly,  collectedly,  and  clear- 
ly. The  conversation  turned  on  his  sermon 


223 

delivered  a  short  time  since  when  he  remark- 
ed, "  all  is  well,"  then  raising  his  arm 
and  looking  upwards,  he  uttered  the  follow- 
ing lines  : 

"Rock  of  Ages  cleft  for  me, 
Let  me  hide  myself  in  Thee. " 

Even  in  those  dying  moments  his  thoughts 
were  engaged  on  matters  pertaining  to  the 
interests  of  the  church.  In  the  conversation 
with  Mr.  Shaw,  from  which  the  foregoing  has 
been  extracted,  he  inquired  as  to  who  was  likely 
to  succeed  Bishop  Carman  in  the  College,  &c. 
After  Mr.  Shaw  had  engaged  in  prayer  with 
him,  he  bade  him  an  affectionate  farewell, 
sending  also  a  kind  farewell  to  Mrs.  Shaw 
and  the  children.  He  died  not  long  after  Mr. 
Shaw  left. 

To  another  of  the  preachers  who  visited 
him,  he  said,  "  I  have  no  ecstasj^,  but  I 
know  in  whom  I  have  believed."  To  yet 
another  he  remarked,  "  My  work  is  done.  I 
have  nothing  to  do  now  but  to  die." 

The  character  of  his  disease  did  not  admit 
of  his  conversing  long  at  a  time,  and  there- 
fore his  sentences  were  short,  but  always 


224 

forcible.  His  reason  was  clear,  and  with  strong 
confidence  in  God,  he  calmly  entered  into  his 
rest.  The  telegraph  announced  his  death, 
not  only  to  his  immediate  acquaintances,  but 
throughout  the  Dominion,  and  next  morning 
the  daily  papers  communicated  the  fact  to  the 
thousands  of  his  friends  in  the  Provinces. 

So  soon  as  it  was  known  in  the  city  that 
the  venerable  Richardson  was  no  more,  the 
National  flag  on  the  Custom  House  was  low- 
ered to  half  mast,  as  were  those  on  other 
public  buildings,  and  on  some  of  the  vessels 
in  the  harbor. 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  funeral — By  whom  attended — The  funeral  sermon — Memorial 
services  held  throughout  our  work — A  painful  void  felt  at 
the  Annual  Conferences — Conference  memorial  services — Lines 
suggested  by  the  sad  bereavement. 

On  the  12th  of  March,  1875,  the  sorrowing 
friends  met  to  pay  their  last  tribute  of  respect 
to  him  who  had  been  so  highly  honored,  and 
so  much  beloved  during  his  life.  The  funeral 
was  largely  attended  by  the  Ministers  of  his 
own  Church  and  by  some  of  other  churches 
from  various  parts  of  Canada,  and  by  those  of 
the  various  Protestant  denominations  in  To- 
ronto, as  well  as  by  very  many  leading  citizens. 

Some  idea  of  the  high  esteem  which  was 
entertained  for  this  venerable  man  of  God 
may  be  gathered  from  the  notice  of  the  fu- 
neral which  appeared  in  the  Globe  of  March 
13th,  1875,  arid  which  we  insert  after  mak- 
ing a  few  verbal  corrections.  The  account 
given  was  as  nearly  correct  as  such  accounts 
generally  are  ;  the  reporter  could  not  be  ex- 
15  225 


226 

pected  to  do  more  than  set  down  the  names 
of  a  few  of  the  more  prominent  representa- 
tive men  who  were  present,  but  hundreds  of 
worthy  men  were  in  attendance  who  were 
unknown  to  these  caterers  for  the  reading 
public.  It  has  been  stated  that  a  larger 
number  of  ministers  were  present  than  ever 
before  attended  any  funeral  in  Toronto. 

The  report  is  as  follows : 

"  Yesterday  afternoon  the  funeral  of  the  late  Rev. 
James  Richardson,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  took  place  from  his  late  residence 
at  Clover  HilL  the  remains  of  deceased  being  in- 
terred in  the  vault  at  the  Necropolis." 

The  friends  and  mourners  met  at  the  resi- 
dence of  the  deceased  shortly  before  three 
o'clock,  at  which  hour  an  impressive  service 
was  held  by  Bishop  Carman,  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  Canada,  assisted  by 
Revs.  M.  Benson  and  G.  Abbs. 

"  The  coffin  which  was  of  polished  walnut  with 
heavy  silver  mountings,  bore  the  following  inscrip- 
tion:— "James  Richardson,  born  January  29th, 
1791,  died  March  9th,  1875. 

"  The  funeral  procession,  which  was  a  very 
lengthened  one,  started  from  the  house  of  mourning 


227 

about  half-past  three  o'clock.  First  came  the 
members  of  the  York  Pioneers'  Society,  of  which 
deceased  was  President,  followed  by  Col.  R.  L. 
Denison,  Col.  R.  B.  Denison,  Rev.  Dr.  Scadding, 
Archdeacon  Fuller,  Messrs.  Philip  Armstrong,  A. 
Hamilton,  Dr.  Geo.  Crawford,  E.  Edmunds,  John 
Bell,  Q.C.,  Rev.  J.  Carroll,  J.  McMullen,  R.  James, 
R.  Leore,  J.  T.  Smith,  James  Gedd,  J.  Stitt,  R.  H. 
Gates,  W.  B.  Phipps,  J.  Bostwick,  D.  Sampson.  A. 
Heron,  J.  Bugg,  J.  White,  D.  O.  Brooke,  Dr.  H. 
Wright,  Dr.  R.  Hornby,  A.  T.  McCord,  S.  Rogers, 
R.  L.  Smith,  G.  H.  Holland,  W.  J.  Coate,  T.  Burgess, 
W.  Barnhard,  J.  Farrell,  T.  Meredith,  R.  Dodds,  F. 
Milligan,  Rev.  S.  Givins,  S.  Bowman,  J.  Jacques,  J. 
W.  Drurnmond,  J.  Paul,  Dr.  Jas.  Small,  J.  Playter, 
W.  Gooderham,  J.  G.  Worts,  B.  Bull,  W.  J.  Storm, 
W.  Edwards." 

"  Immediately  preceding  the  hearse  were  Bishop 
Carman,  Thomas  Webster,  D.D.,  Revs.  M.  Benson, 
G.  Abbs,  M.  A.  Wright,  J.  McLean,  S.  S.  Stone,  Rev. 
Dr.  Ryerson,  Dean  Grassett,  Revs.  Wm.  Reid,  W.  H. 
Shaw,  Saltern  Givins,  T.  Baker,  Rev.  Mr.  Baldwin, and 
Mr.  A.  T.  McCord.  Next  came  the  hearse,  followed  by 
the  ministers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church — 
Revs.  F.  M.  Finn,  Percy  ;  T.  Agnew,  Brampton ; 
J.  Lynch,  Rock  wood  ;  R.  E.  Lund,  Cobourg  ;  E.  J. 
Pelley,  Dundas ;  J.  Sampson,  Brighton ;  J.  Miller. 
Colborne;  J.  Curts,  Weston ;  J.  S.  Williamson, 


228 

Hamilton ;  E.  Londesberry,  Strathroy  ;  Revs.  Dr. 
Wild,  Brooklyn,  New  York ;  R.  Denick,  Palermo  ;  J. 
Gilray,  Toronto ;  W.  S.  Brown,  Lyndon ;  R.  Large, 
Whitterdale ;  A.  Beamer,  Ingersoll.  The  chief 
mourners  were  Dr.  Jas.  H.  Richardson,  deceased's 
son ;  Dr.  Robert  D.  Richardson,  deceased's  grand- 
son ;  Master  W.  Roaf,  and  Master  J.  Roaf,  deceased's 
grandchildren  ;  Mr.  Henry  Denis,  of  Weston.  Next 
came  the  representatives  of  the  Upper  Canada 
Bible  and  Tract  Societies,  Messrs.  J.  K.  McDonald, 
J.  A.  R.  Dickson,  Robt.  Baldwin,  Dr.  J.  G.  Hodgins, 
and  the  representatives  of  Toronto  Temperance  Re- 
formation Society,  which  deceased  was  originator 
of,  and  for  several  years  its  President.  Many 
friends  also  followed  in  the  procession,  among 
others  Canon  Baldwin,  Revs.  J.  Potts,  W.  H.  Poole, 
S.  Rose,  S.  N.  Jackson,  F.  H.  Marling,  etc.  The 
procession  proceeded  by  way  of  Yonge  Street, 
Carlton  Street,  and  Winchester  Street,  to  the 
N  ecropolis,  where  the  burial  service  was  performed 
by  Bishop  Carman,  after  which  the  coffin  was 
placed  in  the  receiving  vault." 

The  funeral  sermon  was  preached  by  Bishop 
Carman,  in  the  Metropolitan  Methodist  church, 
Toronto,  on  Sunday  morning,  March  21st,  the 
use  of  the  church  having  been  kindly  offered 
to  the  Bishop  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Potts,  the  pas- 


229 

tor  of  the  congregation  worshiping  in  that 
beautiful  Temple  of  the  Lord* 

The  congregation  was  large,  "  among  whom 
were  most  of  the  members  of  the  York  Pion- 
eers' Society."  Bishop  Carman  took  for  his 
text  1st  Corinthians,  xv.  55:  "0  death,  where 
is  thy  sting  ?  0  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ?" 
We  can  only  give  a  few  short  extracts  from 
this  eloquent  discourse : 

"  The  text,"  said  the  speaker,  "is  one  of  the  Apos- 
tle Paul's  magnificent  exultations.  It  is  the  leap 
of  a  robust  spirit ;  the  bound  of  a  noble  soul.  It  is 
the  outburst  of  a  suppressed  emotion ;  the  explo- 
sion of  a  pent  up  fire.  It  is  the  mounting  of  the 
eagle  into  the  tracts  of  the  air  ;  the  spring  of  the 
steed  for  the  freedom  of  the  plains.  It  is  not 
merely  the  quick  delight  of  sense,  or  the  sudden 
flame  of  passion.  It  is  not  the  mere  gloating  of 
the  appetite,  or  the  fondness  of  the  desire.  It  is 
not  the  mere  pleasure  of  sentiment ;  or  the  flash  of 
thought.  It  is  not  merely  the  happy  radiance  of 
reason,  or  the  joyous  triumph  of  argument.  It  is 
all  that  is  good,  and  pure,  and  sound,  and  solid  in 
all  these ;  but  it  is  also  far  more  than  all  these.  It 
has  all  that  sense,  and  emotion,  and  sentiment,  and 
reason,  and  argument  can  give ;  but  it  has  some- 
thing rapturous  and  sublime  that  they  cannot  all,  to- 


230 

gether,  give.  It  is  the  majestic  flight  of  faith  in 
God ;  the  outreaching  of  the  immortal  mind  to  grasp 
its  glorious  destiny.  From  the  firm  foundation,  the 
immovable  rock  of  fact,  and  testimony,  and  reason, 
and  argument ;  from  the  character  and  govern- 
ment, and  promises  of  Jehovah,  the  soul  mounts 
vigorously  upward,  and  soars  amid  the  splendours 
of  the  imperial  sun.  This  is  the  leap  of  faith;  its 
grand  excursion  in  the  light  ineffable.  Surely  the 
bird  of  the  mountain,  plunging  into  the  aerial 
ocean  from  his  rocky  height,  and  with  swift  wing- 
cleaving  the  sky,  has  wider  and  nobler  range  than 
the  reptile  crawling  about  the  mountain's  base,  or 
the  sure-footed  beast  climbing  its  rugged  sides. 
The  former  has  all  the  possessions  of  the  latter,  but 
also  has  much  more.  To  the  one  no  less  than  to  the 
other,  the  bald  granite,  the  gorge,  the  precipice  and 
the  slopes  are  realities,  indispensable  realities.  To 
the  one  no  less  than  to  the  other  is  the  mountain 
the  life.  But  the  grander  flight  finds  even  grander 
realities  in  the  broader,  purer  fields  of  light  and  air. 
So  faith,  despising  not,  neglecting  not,  forsaking 
not  fact  and  reason,  mounts  up\v  ard  from  fact  and 
reason  to  the  eternal  verities  of  the  moral  Govern- 
ment of  God,  and  the  moral  and  immortal  nature  of 


man.          *          *          * 


There  are  elevations  of  trust  in  God ;  lofty  joys  of 
communion  with  Him,  and  sublime  realizations  of 


231 

His  power  that  unaided  reason  knows  nothing  of. 
And  this  was  the  rapture  of  Paul;  not  without 
reason,  but  leaping  forth  from  it  with  an  alacrity 
and  an  energy  mightily  above  it.  These  exulta- 
tions, these  bursting  joys  of  the  combined  glories  of 
reason,  and  sentiment,  and  faith  were  characteris- 
istic  of  the  great  preacher  to  the  Gentile  world.  He 
clearly  states  the  fact ;  he  urges  the  argument ;  he 
gazes  upon  the  transcendant  glory ;  he  believes 
with  all  his  heart  in  the  immeasureable  goodness 
and  the  irresistible  power  of  the  God  of  his  love, 
till  the  rising  tide  of  his  emotion  breaks  over  every 
barrier  of  his  attempted  restraint,  fills  every  capa- 
city of  his  soul,  and  brightens  and  freshens  every 
faculty  of  his  being.  The  argument  is  complete ; 
the  demonstration  is  secure  ;  the  grandeur  is  mani- 
fest ;  and  then  the  joy  abounds.  The  irrepressible 
rapture,  in  the  full-flood  tide  of  glory,  rolls  over  the 
soul.  This  is  the  habit  of  his  mind,  the  ecstacy  of 
the  abundant  revelation.  So  it  is  in  that  inimit- 
able argument  for  justification  by  faith  without  the 
deeds  of  the  law.  He  has  proved  that  all  men  are 
alike  under  sin ;  that  in  man's  moral  nature  there 
is  no  help ;  that  the  law  frowns  only  to  condemn. 
'  O,  wretched  man  that  I  am,  who  shall  deliver  me 
from  the  body  of  this  death  ?'  '  I  thank  God,  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  There  is  therefore  now  no 
condemnation  to  them  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  who 


232 

walk   not   after   the   flesh,    but   after  the   spirit.' 

*  Heirs  of  God  and  joint  heirs  with  Christ.'     Hav- 
ing shown  the  nature  of  the  spiritual  life,  the  re- 
generation  and  sanctification   of  the   human  soul 
through  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  having 
declared  the  witness  of  the   Spirit  of  God  to  our 
adoption,  and  the  loving  attachment  of  the  sons  of 
God  to  their  Father  in  heaven  he  breaks  forth : 

*  Who  shall  separate  us   from   the   love  of    God  ? 
Shall   tribulation,    or  distress,    or   persecution,   or 
famine,  or  nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword  ?     Nay,  in 
all   these   things   we    are    more    than    conquerors 
through  Him  that  loved  us.      For  I  am  persuaded 
that  neither  death,  nor  life,   nor  angels,  nor  princi- 
palities, nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things 
to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  crea- 
ture shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of 
God  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord.'     As  also 
Wesley  :  '  Now  I  have  found  the  ground  wherein,' 
&:c.     Having  demonstrated  that  the  gifts  and  call- 
ings of  God  are  without  repentance ;  that  the  elec- 
tion of  his  people,  whether  Jew  or  Gentile,  proceed- 
ed upon  their  character  of  repentance,  faith,  and 
obedience  ;     having    descended    with    his    people 
through  the  awful  calamity  and  sorrow  of  their  re- 
jection of  God  on  account  of  their  sins,  and  having 
risen  again  to  the  grand  conception  of  the  compre- 
hensive plan  of  the  Eternal  Father  to  embrace  all 


233 

nations  of  men  in  the  great  salvation  by  faith  in 
Jesus  Christ,  he  rapturously  exclaims  :  '  O,  the 
depth  of  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and  know- 
ledge of  God !  How  unsearchable  are  His  judg- 
ments, and  His  ways  past  finding  out.  For  who 
hath  known  the  mind  of  the  Lord  ?  or  who  hath 
been  His  counsellor  ?  or  who  hath  first  given  to 
Him,  and  it  shall  be  recompensed  unto  him  again. 
For  of  Him,  and  through  Him,  and  to  Him,  are  all 
things  ;  to  whom  be  glory  for  ever  !  Amen  ! ' " 
*  *  *  *  ***** 

After  pointing  out  at  considerable  length 
the  blessedness  of  the  Gospel,  which  enables 
the  believer  to  triumph  over  death  and  the 
grave,  through  the  blessed  atonement ;  and 
after  giving  a  historical  account  of  the  life 
and  labors,  patriotic  and  ministerial,  of  his 
late  colleague,  Bishop  Carman  concluded  a 
long  and  able  sermon  with  the  words  follow- 
ing: 

'*  And  now  what  shall  we  say  in  summing  up  the 
character  of  this  great  and  good  man  ?  In  every 
sphere  of  life  into  which  he  came,  he  filled  its  full 
orb  with  his  energy  and  his  power.  In  the  domes- 
tic circle,  in  society,  in  the  nation  and  in  the  church, 
he  was  the  complete  man.  In  private  and  in  public 
virtues  he  was  a  model  for  the  people.  He  was 


234 

firm  without  being  dogmatic  ;  he  was  mild  without 
being  easy  and  indifferent.  He  loved  his  home  with- 
out neglecting  his  country.  He  served  his  country 
without  slighting  his  home.  In  counsel,  the  sage  ; 
in  action,  the  hero  ;  in  manner,  the  gentleman ;  in 
conversation,  the  historian  and  the  philosopher;  how 
shall  we  supply  his  place,  or  when  shall  we  look 
upon  his  like  again  ?  He  leaves  to  his  family,  his 
church,  his  country,  the  heritage  of  a  spotless  cha- 
racter. They  need  not  mourn  :  but  may  better 
arise  and  emulate  his  virtues.  Do  you  seek  an 
ardent  patriotism  ?  You  find  it  in  James  Richard- 
son. Do  you  seek  an  untarnished  honour,  and 
unblemished  reputation  ?  You  find  them  in  James 
Richardson.  Do  you  seek  a  sincere  philanthropy  ? 
You  find  it  in  James  Richardson.  Would  you  have 
a  keen  sense  of  duty,  an  exalted  appreciation  of 
justice,  a  firm  adherence  to  truth,  and  a  sober  and 
unaffected,  a  deep  and  all-pervading,  piety  ?  You 
will  find  them  in  James  Richardson.  As  a  soldier, 
he  was  faithful  and  brave.  As  a  man  of  business, 
he  was  honourable  and  obliging.  As  a  preacher, 
he  was  zealous  and  effective.  As  a  bishop,  and  an 
administrator  of  discipline,  he  was  candid,  careful 
and  correct.  In  plain  exposition  of  the  blessed 
doctrines  of  the  Bible  he  had  no  superior ;  in  know- 
ledge of  church  discipline  and  ecclesiastical  polic}T 
and  usage,  perhaps  not  an  equal  in  the  country. 


235 

His  shining  abilities,  his  splendid  equilibrium  of 
faculties,  would  have  made  him  a  power  in  Parlia- 
ment, or  an  ornament  to  the  Bench.  But  he  counted 
all  these  but  loss,  that  he  might  win  Christ.  He 
dedicated  all  to  God.  He  laid  all  at  the  foot  of  the 
cross.  Thereby  he  was  enabled  to  be  abundantly 
useful  in  his  generation,  and  has  gone  to  a  rich 
reward." 

It  was  deemed  but  fitting  to  have  memo- 
rial services  held  throughout  the  connexion, 
as  there  were  thousands,  who,  while  desirous 
of  honoring  his  memory,  were  yet  unable  to 
attend  the  funeral  services.  Therefore  Bishop 
Carman,  with  the  concurrence  of  several  of 
his  brethren  present  on  that  occasion,  decided 
to  recommend  that  such  services  be  held 
throughout  the  connexion,  as  far  as  practica- 
ble, on  Sunday,  March  28th. 

The  proposition  was  well  received,  and  on 
that  day  our  ministers,  generally,  called  the 
attention  of  their  people  to  the  consideration 
of  the  high  character,  patriotic  career,  public 
usefulness,  blameless  life,  and  abundant  Chris- 
tian efforts  of  this  good  man,  and  able  min- 
ister of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

It  will  not  be  possible,  in  the  compass  of 


236 

this  work,  to  give  even  an  outline  of  these 
religious  services.  They  were  all,  necessa- 
rily, very  similar  in  character,  the  congrega- 
tions varying  in  numbers  according  to  differ- 
ent localities.  It  is  hoped  that  these  memorial 
services  of  this  "prince  in  our  Israel"  have 
been  the  means  of  leading  many  souls  to 
Christ. 

The  meetings  of  the  Annual  Conferences 
were,  at  their  commencement,  seasons  of  deep 
sorrow  and  of  some  anxiety.  The  chair  so 
long  occupied  by  the  venerable  Bishop  was 
vncant;  and,  while  the  preachers  were  glad 
to  know  that,  in  his  learned  and  affable  suc- 
cessor, they  possessed  a  presiding  officer  in 
every  way  fitted  to  fill  that  chair,  they  could 
not  but  grieve  that  they  would  see  no  more 
on  earth  the  face  of  that  friend  who  had  been 
as  a  spiritual  father  to  so  many  of  them,  but 
who  would  now  never  more  guide  them  by 
his  mature  counsels. 

The  Conference  memorial  services  were 
attended  with  excellent  effects,  both  upon  the 
preachers  themselves  and  upon  the  congrega- 
tions in  attendance. 


237 

The  "  workmen  die,  but  the  work  goes  on." 
"  The  Lord  God  Omnipotent  reigneth." 

The  author  has  pleasure  in  presenting  to 
the  many  admiring  friends  of  our  late  beloved 
Bishop,  the  following  appreciative  lines,  com- 
posed by  Mrs.  ISABELLA  BAILEY  WEBSTER 
WALLACE. 


238 


LINES  SUGGESTED  BY  THE  DEATH  AND  BURIAL  OF  THE  LATE 
J3ISHOP    j^ICHARDSON. 


No  martial  pomp,  no  muffled  drum,  no  tattered  colours  trailing  low, 
No  solemn  dirge,  no  booming  gun,  hints  of  the  ancient  well-fought 

foe 
Whom  he  had  met  with  dauntless  front,  while  with  a  sailor's  honest 

pride 
He  steered  his  barque,  'mid  smoke  and  flame,  o'er  blue  Ontario's 

heaving  tide. 

No  fear  had  he  of  shot  or  shell,  or  of  the  yawning,  hungry  wave ; 
His  only  thought,  from  foreign  arms,  his  much  loved  native  land  to 

save. 
Nor  repined  he  at  the  soldier's  fate,  although  so  early  maimed  for 

life, 

But  with  returning  vigor,  came  again  to  join  the  fearful  strife. 
No  veteran*  of  that  sturdy  band,  who  then  obeyed  his  hearty  call, 
Is  mingling  with  the  saddened  throng,  who  follow  now  his  funeral 

pall. 
The  brave,  the  true,  who  may  survive,  have  vanished  from  our  sight 

and  ken, 

And  all  the  victories  which  they  won,  were  nullified  by  weaker  men. 
But  comrades  in  a  holier  war,  true  soldiers  of  a  mightier  King, 
Are  here  from  well  contested  fields,  and  faithful,  loving  hearts  they 

bring. 
They've  come,  to  gaze  with  lingering  look,  on  that  dear  face  they 

loved  so  well ; 
But  ah !  they  miss  the  kindling  eye,  the  smile  where  welcome  used 

to  dwell. 
They  miss  that  voice,  so  mild,  so  deep,  which  charmed  them  in  their 

boyhood's  days, 

*  One  of  Mr.  Richardson's  comrades  on  the  St.  La  icrence  was  present  at  his 
funeral,  as  one  of  the  pall-bearers,  but  he  was  not  with  him  at  Oswego. 


239 

Which  oft  had  sounded  in  their  ears,  in  admonition  or  in  praise. 
Their  sorrow,  not  like  transient  cloud,  whose  shadow  for  an  instant 

lies, 

Blackening  the  verdant  vales  of  June,  then  in  a  moment  onward  flies. 
'Tis  such  as  weighs  the  loftiest  down,  when  they  behold  their  noble 

dead, 

And  realize  that  life  is  o'er,  that  all  that  was  their  friend  has  fled. 
In  that  cold  form,  serenely  calm,  they  still  his  lineaments  may  trace, 
But  now  loved  tones  unheeded  fall,  no  answering  smile  illumes  the 

face. 

The  soul,  that  glorious  spark  divine,  which  was,  and  is  the  real  man, 
Has  cast  aside  this  garb  of  clay,  which  lies  so  mute,  so  pale,  so  wan. 
Now  from  their  very  sorrow,  springs  a  joy  which  is  the  Christian's 

own; 
The  soldier  who  had  fought  so  well,  is  placed  before  his  Sovereign's 

throne. 
No  more  the  weary,  toilsome  march ;  no  more  the  conflict  with  the 

waves ; 
No  more  to  feel  the  serpent's  fangs,  no  more  to  weep  o'er  new-made 

graves. 

But  in  the  presence  of  his  Lord,  for  evermore  he  sits  him  down, 
And  he  who  bore  the  cross  so  long,  now  wears  the  victor's  glorious 

crown. 

Radiant  with  stars,  which  far  surpass  the  brightness  of  the  rising  day, 
They  speak  of  souls,  who,  by  his  words,  were  led  to  own  Jehovah's 

sway. 
This  thought,  of  his  supreme  delight,  has  soothing  power  amid  their 

grief; 

Oh !  may  his  spotless  mantle,  falling,  rest  upon  their  youthful  chief. 
Oh !  may  the  Church,  through  all  the  land,  thrill  with  a  purer,  warmer 

flame ; 

Still,  in  her  earnest  war  with  ill,  keep  ever  bright  her  honored  name. 
And  those  few  silvery-headed  men,  who  watched  with  him  our  coun- 
try's rise, 
May  they,  too,  find  a  lasting  home,  with  him,  beyond  the  arching 

skies. 


24:0 


Then  those  dear  sorrowing  ones,  whose  love  is  not  the  growth  of  years, 
But  was  implanted  in  their  hearts,  ere  they  had  known  life's  cares  or 

fears ; 
May  they,  by  following  close  his  steps,  who  guided  their's  through 

youth's  wild  maze, 
Be  brought  to  share  his  glorious  rest,  and  join  with  him  in  heavenly 

lays. 
Oh !  may  his  children's  children  seek,  whate'ver  in  life  may  them 

betide, 
The  love  of  God,  their  father's  King.     May  He  with  them  for  aye 

abide. 


ZELL'S  POPULAR  ENCYCLOPEDIA 


AND 


UNIVERSAL  DICTIONARY 

New  and  Revised  Edition,  with  18  Coloured  Maps. 


THIS  work  furnishes  a  complete  description  of  every  subject  connected 
with  History,  Biography,  Geography,  Science,  Art,  Language,  Natural 
History,  Botany,   Mineralogy,   Medicine,  Law,  Mechanics,  Architecture, 
Manufacturing,  Agriculture,  Bihle  History,  Church  History,  Religions,  &c. 

It  is,  in  fact,  equal  to  a  complete  library  of  works  on  all  subjects. 

Printed  in  ordinary  type  and  page,  it  would  make  Twenty  Volumes, 
worth  not  less  than  $5  each,  or  f  100  for  the  entire  work. 

It  contains  nearly  150,000  articles,  all  prepared  with  great  care,  by  the 
most  able  authors,  each  specially  qualified  for  his  particular  part. 

An  article  in  the  National  Quarterly,  edited  by  Ed.  I.  Sears,  LL.D.,  gives 
the  views  of  that  able  and  scholarly  reviewer  and  critic  upon  this  work. 

He  begins  with  remarking  that  he  had  received  not  less  than  fifty  letters 
within  the  year,  asking  his  opinion  of  Zell's  Popular  Encyclopedia. 

From  a  prejudice  against  the  word  "popular,"  as  too  often  used  in  this 
country,  the  Doctor  confesses  that,  before  examining  it,  his  faith  in 
the  new  Encylopedia  was  very  slight.  After  a  careful  examination,  he 
speaks  of  it,  with  unqualified  commendation,  as  follows  : 

"'Blessed,'  he  says,  quoting  Swift,  'are  they  that  expect  nothing,  for 
they  shall  not  be  disappointed.'  If  we  are  not  blessed,  we  are  at  least  agree- 
ably surprised.  The  prefix  popular,  as  generally  used  in  this  country,  is 
not  appropriate  in  this  present  instance,  but  in  the  sense  of  instructive 
and  useful  to  all  classes  of  the  people  who  have  any  taste  for  the 
acquisition  of  knowlgdge,  or  any  desire  for  extending  the  sphere  of  their 
intelligence  ;  and,  in  this  sense,  we  know  no  similar  work  to  which  it  may 
be  more  justly  applied.  In  other  words,  the  new  Encyclopedia  is  not  the 
crude,  shallow,  slip-shod,  self-contradictory  sort  of  performance  which  so 
many  of  our  authors  and  compilers  seem  to  regard  as  only  suitable  for  the 
people,  and  the  only  kind  that  ought  to  be  called  popular.  It  is  a  work 
which,  while  it  must  prove  attractive,  as  well  as  useful,  to  thoss  who  have 
received  only  the  most  elementary  education,  cannot  fail  to  recommend 


ZELL'S  POPULAR  ENCYCLOPEDIA. 

itself,  also,  to  the  most  highly  educated,  even  to  possessors  of  good 
libraries,  for  the  large-  amount  of  information,  in  general,  well  digested 
and  accurate,  which  it  embraces  on  multiform  subjects,  including  the 
whole  circle  of  the  Arts  and  Sciences.  Many  articles  are  quite  long  and 
elaborate.  The  majority  owe  their  value  to  the  circumstance  that  in 
their  condensed  form  they  rarely  omit  any  important  particular,  and 
scarcely  ever  any  newly-discovered  fact.  Thus  the  literary  and  scientific 
labourer  is  often  enabled  to  obtain  at  a  glance  information  requiring 
extensive  research  elsewhere,  and  which  is  not  to  be  found,  at  all  in 
other  Encyclopedias.  It  affords  us  pleasure  to  bear  testimony  to  the 
peculiar  merits  of  this  work.  The  departments  which  please  us  most 
are  the  Historical,  Geographical,  Archselogical,  and  Scientific.  In  the 
department  of  Science,  we  have  sufficient  of  what  is  not  found  in  any 
similar  work,  being  the  result  of  recent  research  and  discoveries,  to 
recommend  the  work.  The  Lexicographical  department  alone  is  of 
great  value  ;  it  is  indeed  such  that  none  having  it  will  have  any  need 
to  pay  the  high  price  demanded  at  the  present  day  for  a  copy  of  Web- 
ster's Dictionary.  The  numerous  and  generally  accurate  illustrations  of 
Zell's  Popular  Encyclopedia  considerably  enchance  the  interest  and 
attractiveness."  t  _ 

The  following  notices  are  from  the  Globe  and  Mail : 

"This  work,  which  will  be  exceedingly  useful  as  a  book  of  reference, 
is  published  in  numbers,  sixty-four  of  which  are  to  complete  the  \\hole. 
It  is  edited  by  L.  Colange,  L.L.D.,  is  handsomely  printed,  and  contains 
18  beautiful  maps,  besides  numerous  illustrative  Engravings.  Whilst 
aiming  at  scientific  accuracy,  it  is  at  the  same  time  intended  to  be 
popular,  the  articles  being  written  in  plain  language.  •  •  •  •  jn 
order  to  show  the  value  of  the  work  to  every  one,  we  will  mention  that 
it  is  a  complete  dictionary  of  language  ;  it  contains  every  word,  with 
its  etymology  and  definition,  that  is  to  be  found  in  other  large  dic- 
tionaries. It  is  also  a  complete  gazeteer." 

"  The  plan  of  this  work  is  wonderfully  comprehensive,  embracing  as 
it  does  a  dictionary  of  language,  a  biographical  and  a  medical  dictionary, 
a  history  of  the  world,  a  complete  natural  history,  a  complete  work  on 
botany,  also  on  Mechanics,  and  a  Clmrch  history.  In  short,  there  is 
no  subject  to  which  reference  is  not  made.  All  who  want  a  book  to 
which  they  can  turn  in  a  moment  for  anything  in  the  world  they  want 
to  know  about,  will  find  ZELL'S  ENCYCLOPEDIA  just  what  they  require." 

This  fmrk  is  published  in  2,  3,  4  and  5  volume  editions,  varying  in 
price  from  $37  50  to  $75  per  set ;  and  in  64  parts  at  fifty  cents  each. 

Full  particulars,  (specimen  part  with  a  map,  post-paid  for  twenty -five 
cents)  will  be  sent  on  application.  Sold  only  by  subscription. 

J.  B.  MAGUBN, 

PUBLISHERS'  GENERAL  AGENT, 

36  Zing  Street  East,  Toronto. 

.  .  O.  Box  743. 


PRAYER 

AXD  ITS 

REMARKABLE     ANSWERS 


A  Statement  of  Facts  in  the  Light  of  Reason  and  Revelation. 


BY  REV-  WM.   W,   RATION,   D.D. 


This  work  covers  ground  occupied  by  no  other  book.  Its  theme  is  one  of 
absorbing  interest  to  the  Christian,  and  it  is  believed  that  a  perusal 
of  its  pages  will  not  fail  to  deeply  interest  all  classes  of  people.  It 
will  confound,  if  not  convince,  the  sceptic,  strengthen  the  faith  of  Believers, 
and  awaken  to  earnest  thought  the  Impenitent. 

The  author  has  given,  in  popular  form,  both  the  facts  and  the  philo- 
sophy of  the  subject.  It  is  written  for  the  people,  yet  it  assumes  that 
they  are  neither  children  nor  fools,  but  desire  an  intelligent  discussion  of  a 
fundamental  question.  The  heads  of  the  chapters,  herewith,  will  serve  to 
show  how  thoroughly  the  subject  has  been  handled  by  the  author. 

It  will  be  observed  that  about  one-third  of  the  book  is  devoted  to 
the  nature,  characteristics,  methods  and  conditions  of 
Prayer,  and  the  remaining  two-thirds  to  Striking  Cases  of 
Answers  to  Prayer,  for  all  variety  of  objects.  The  cases  quoted  are 
largely  original,  and  have  been  furnished  the  author  from  trustworthy 
sources,  and  in  most  instances  the  sources  are  given.  These  have  been 
culled  from  a  much  larger  number  that  were  supplied  to  the  author  ex- 
pressly for  this  work,  but  which  had  to  be  omitted  for  want  of  space.  They 
are  arranged  carefully  in  distinct  Chapters,  to  illustrate  the  success  of 
orayer  for  different  objects,  and  are  accompanied  by  explanatory  and  critical 
remarks.  It  is  a  book  which  every  Pastor  will  welcome,  as  helpful  to  the 
progress  of  piety  in  his  church,  and  which  will  encourage  the  Christian  to 
ask  and  expect  greater  blessings  for  himself  and  for  others, 


PRAYER   ANr    ITS    REMARKABLE    ANSWERS. 

CONTENTS. 

Chapter  I.  Prayer  characteristic  of  Piety.— II.  What  true  Prayer  is.— 
III.  Why  Prayer  prevails. — IV.  The  method  of  the  answer. — V.  Conditions 
of  success  in  Prayer.— VI.  The  Prayer  of  Faith.— VII.  Sceptical  assaults 
on  Prayer.— VIII.  Bible-answers  to  Prayer— Old  Testament.— IX.  Bible- 
answers  to  Prayer — New  Testament. — X.  Prayer  for  the  supply  of  temporal 
wants  (commenced). — XI.  Prayer  for  the  supply  of  temporal  wants  (con- 
cluded).— XII.  Prayer  for  physical  healing  (commenced). — XIII.  Prayer 
for  physical  healing  (concluded).— XIV.  Prayer  for  sanctifying  grace. — 
XV.  Prayer  to  overcome  physical  habit. — XVI.  Prayer  for  individual 
conversions. — XVII.  Parental  'Prayei'S.—  XVIII.  Prayer  for  ministers, 
churches  and  revivals. — XIX.  Prayer  for  charitable  institutions.— XX. 
Review  of  facts  in  conclusion.  403  pages. 


The  Eev.  JOHN  POTTS  gives  the  following  opinion  of 
this  book. 

"I  have  somewhat  carefully  examined  Dr.  Patton's  book  entitled  'Prayer 
and  its  Remarkable  Answers.'  The  subject  is  one  of  undying  interest  to 
finite  beings,  and  its  treatment  by  the  author  is  intelligent,  interesting  and 
practical  The  perusal  of  these  pages  must  give  greatly  enlarged  views  of 
the  nature,  obligation  and  privilege  of  Prayer. 

"  Those  who  habitually  'bow  before  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ '  will  feel  especially  encouraged  to  expect  large  blessings,  as  they 
learn  of  the  remarkable  answers  recorded  on  the  pages  of  this  book. 

"JOHN  POTTb. 
"METROPOLITAN  CHURCH  PARSONAGE, 

"TORONTO,  FebnuM-y,  1876." 


English  cloth,  black  and  gold,  $1.50;  gilt   edges,  $2.00. 


J.  B.  MAGUEN, 

PUBLISHER, 

36  King  Street  East,  Toronto. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


23Feb'65lD 
REC'D  LD 

FEBI1-65-9PM 

' 

il  iTER  LIBRARY 


JUN29  1966 


Lin 


LD  21A-607n-4,'64 
(E4555slO)476B 


General  Library 
University  of  California 

Rortrolov 


410$ 


